Cited by 596Poverty, Education, and Child WelfareChild Nutrition and Water AccessPublic Health and Nutrition

Role of cash in conditional cash transfer programmes for child health, growth, and development: an analysis of Mexico's Oportunidades

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Fernald, Lia CH, Gertler, Paul J, Neufeld, Lynnette M·2008·The Lancet

Abstract

Background Many governments have implemented conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes with the goal of improving options for poor families through interventions in health, nutrition, and education. Families enrolled in CCT programmes receive cash in exchange for complying with certain conditions: preventive health requirements and nutrition supplementation, education, and monitoring designed to improve health outcomes and promote positive behaviour change. Our aim was to disaggregate the effects of cash transfer from those of other programme components.Methods In an intervention that began in 1998 in Mexico, low-income communities (n=506) were randomly assigned to be enrolled in a CCT programme (Oportunidades, formerly Progresa) immediately or 18 months later. In 2003, children (n=2449) aged 24-68 months who had been enrolled in the programme their entire lives were assessed for a wide variety of outcomes. We used linear and logistic regression to determine the effect size for each outcome that is associated with a doubling of cash transfers while controlling for a wide range of covariates, including measures of household socioeconomic status.Findings A doubling of cash transfers was associated with higher height-for-age Z score (beta 0.20, 95% CI 0.09-0.30; p<0.0001), lower prevalence of stunting (-0.10, -0.16 to -0.05; p<0.0001), lower body-mass index for age percentile (-2.85, -5.54 to -0.15; p=0.04), and lower prevalence of being overweight (-0.08, -0.13 to -0.03; p=0.001). A doubling of cash transfers was also associated with children doing better on a scale of motor development, three scales of cognitive development, and with receptive language.Interpretation Our results suggest that the cash transfer component of Oportunidades is associated with better outcomes in child health, growth, and development.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0140-6736(08)60382-7

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Authors
Fernald, L. C., Gertler, P. J., & Neufeld, L. M.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
  • Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (MX)
Corresponding author
Fernald, Lia CH
Venue
The Lancet
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-03
Volume
371
Issue
9615
Pages
828-837
ISSN
  • 0099-5355 (ISSN-L)
  • 0140-6736
OpenAlex
W2161097564
Cited by
596
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 38 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 37
FWCI
93.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Lancet (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Fogarty International Center (K01TW006077)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD040864)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Public Health and Nutrition
Keywords
conditional cash transfers, Oportunidades, PROGRESA, child growth, stunting, childhood overweight, children's motor development, child cognitive development, receptive language, child health, low-income households
MeSH terms
Child, Child Development, Child Welfare, Child, Preschool, Community Health Services, Community Participation, Female, Health Promotion, Humans, Infant, Male, Mexico, Motivation, Poverty, Rural Health, Social Welfare, Logistic Models

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