Studies that documented improved care-seeking indicated the importance of adequate programme scope ( in terms of programme eligibility , size and timing of payments and voucher entitlements ) to address the issue of concern , concurrent investments in supply-side capacity to sustain and /or improve quality of care , and awareness generation using community-based workers , leaders and women ’s groups .
Conclusions Evaluations spanning more than 15 years of implementation of DSF programmes reveal a complex picture of experiences that reflect the importance of financial and other social , geographical and health systems factors as barriers to accessing care .
Background Dem and -side financing ( DSF ) interventions , including cash transfers and vouchers , have been introduced to promote maternal and newborn health in a range of low- and middle-income countries .
These interventions vary in design but have typically been used to increase health service utilisation by off setting some financial costs for users , or increasing household income and incentivising ‘ healthy behaviours ’ .
This article documents experiences and implementation factors associated with use of DSF in maternal and newborn health .
The impact of Mexico's conditional cash transfer programme, Oportunidades, on birthweight.
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of Oportunidades , a large-scale , conditional cash transfer programme in Mexico , on  birthweight .  The programme provides cash transfers to low-income , rural households in Mexico , conditional on accepting nutritional supplements health education , and health care . METHODS The primary analyses used retrospective reports from 840 women in poor rural communities participating in an effectiveness study and r and omly assigned to incorporation into the programme in 1998 or 1999 across seven Mexican states . Pregnant women in participating households received nutrition supplements and health care , and accepted cash transfers . Using multivariate and instrumental variable analyses , we estimated the impact of the programme on birthweight in grams and low birthweight ( < 2500 g ) , receipt of any pre-natal care , and number of pre-natal visits . RESULTS Oportunidades beneficiary status was associated with 127.3 g higher birthweight among participating women and a 4.6 percentage point reduction in low birthweight . CONCLUSION The Oportunidades conditional cash transfer programme improved birthweight outcomes . This finding is relevant to countries implementing conditional cash transfer programmes
Studies that documented improved care-seeking indicated the importance of adequate programme scope ( in terms of programme eligibility , size and timing of payments and voucher entitlements ) to address the issue of concern , concurrent investments in supply-side capacity to sustain and /or improve quality of care , and awareness generation using community-based workers , leaders and women ’s groups .
Conclusions Evaluations spanning more than 15 years of implementation of DSF programmes reveal a complex picture of experiences that reflect the importance of financial and other social , geographical and health systems factors as barriers to accessing care .
Background Dem and -side financing ( DSF ) interventions , including cash transfers and vouchers , have been introduced to promote maternal and newborn health in a range of low- and middle-income countries .
These interventions vary in design but have typically been used to increase health service utilisation by off setting some financial costs for users , or increasing household income and incentivising ‘ healthy behaviours ’ .
This article documents experiences and implementation factors associated with use of DSF in maternal and newborn health .