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See below. I'm not sure about the ethics of this. Paul Professor Paul Bywaters Emeritus Professor of Social Work Coventry University Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB 02476 795384 ________________________________ From: [log in to unmask] on behalf of Claudio Schuftan Sent: Sat 08/03/2008 04:19 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: PHA-Exch> Role of cash in conditional cash transfer programmes forchild health, growth, and development: Mexico From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) <[log in to unmask]> crossposted from: [log in to unmask] Role of cash in conditional cash transfer programmes for child health, growth, and development: an analysis of Mexico's Oportunidades Lia CH Fernald, Paul J Gertler and Lynnette M Neufeld The Lancet, Volume 371, Number 9615, 8 March 2008 Available online at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608603827/fulltext "......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 (? 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. Affiliations a. School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA b. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA c. Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Mexico -------------------------------------------------------- NOTICE This message and any files transmitted with it is intended for the addressee only and may contain information that is confidential or privileged. Unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you are not the addressee, you should not read, copy, disclose or otherwise use this message, except for the purpose of delivery to the addressee. Any views or opinions expressed within this e-mail are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Coventry University.