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International Journal of Public Health
Published in: International Journal of Public Health 4/2014

01-08-2014 | Review

The impact of conditional cash transfers on child health in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Authors: Ebenezer Owusu-Addo, Ruth Cross

Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 4/2014

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Abstract

Objectives

The review aimed to assess the effectiveness of conditional cash transfers (CCTs) in improving child health in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods

Seven electronic databases were searched for papers: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, PsychINFO, BIOSIS Previews, Academic Search Complete, and CSA Sociological Abstracts. The included studies comprised of randomised controlled trials and controlled before-and-after studies evaluating the impact of CCTs on child health. Due to the substantial heterogeneity of the studies, a narrative synthesis was conducted on the extracted data.

Results

Sixteen studies predominantly from Latin American countries met the inclusion criteria. The outcomes reported by the studies in relation to CCTs’ effectiveness in improving child health were reduction in morbidity risk, improvement in nutritional outcomes, health services utilisation, and immunisation coverage.

Conclusions

The review suggests that to a large extent, CCTs are effective in improving child health by addressing child health determinants such as access to health care, child and maternal nutrition, morbidity risk, immunisation coverage, and household poverty in developing countries particularly middle-income countries. Of importance to both policy and practice, it appears that CCTs require effective functioning of health care systems to effectively promote child health.
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Metadata
Title
The impact of conditional cash transfers on child health in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review
Authors
Ebenezer Owusu-Addo
Ruth Cross
Publication date
01-08-2014
Publisher
Springer Basel
Published in
International Journal of Public Health / Issue 4/2014
Print ISSN: 1661-8556
Electronic ISSN: 1661-8564
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-014-0570-x

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