Giving pregnant women cash transfers cuts infant mortality in half, study finds

Giving pregnant women unconditional cash transfers of US$1,000 in rural Kenya cut infant mortality by 49 per cent, new research has found.

The one-time payments, about three-quarters of annual household income, also reduced deaths in children under five by 45 per cent when the money arrived around the time of birth.

The findings suggest that direct financial support to expectant mothers can improve survival rates for babies and young children in low-resource areas.

The research was carried out by associate professor Dennis Egger from the University of Oxford’s Department of Economics and Centre for the Study of African Economies, working with colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley.

It evaluated a large-scale cash transfer programme run by non-government organisation GiveDirectly.

The team analysed regional census data on more than 100,000 children across 10,500 low-income households in 650 villages.

The study used a randomised controlled trial, a research method widely seen as the most reliable way to test cause and effect.

The reduction in deaths was linked to fewer cases of largely preventable conditions that appropriate obstetric care – medical support during pregnancy and childbirth – could have treated.

The impact was strongest in the poorest households.

Several factors appeared to play a role, including higher rates of hospital births, better nutrition, and more time for mothers to rest during and after pregnancy.

Access to quality healthcare was also important in achieving these improvements.

Associate professor Egger said: “Although the unconditional cash transfers were not primarily designed for this, our research shows that they may be a cost-effective way to reduce infant and child deaths.”