Cash transfer programs and child health and family economic outcomes: a systematic review

Anne E Fuller; Nusrat Zaffar; Eyal Cohen; Maximilian Pentland; Arjumand Siddiqi; Ashley Vandermorris; Meta Van Den Heuvel; Catherine S Birken; Astrid Guttmann; Claire de Oliveira

doi:10.17269/s41997-022-00610-2

Cash transfer programs and child health and family economic outcomes: a systematic review

Anne E Fuller, Nusrat Zaffar, Eyal Cohen, Maximilian Pentland, Arjumand Siddiqi, Ashley Vandermorris, Meta Van Den Heuvel, Catherine S Birken, Astrid Guttmann, Claire de Oliveira

Centre for Health Economics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Family income is an important determinant of child and parental health. In Canada, cash transfer programs to families with children have existed since 1945. This systematic review aimed to examine the association between cash transfer programs to families with children and health outcomes in Canadian children (ages 0 to 18) as well as family economic outcomes.

METHODS: We reviewed academic and grey literature published up to November 2021. Additional studies were identified through reference review. We included any study that examined children 0-18 years old and/or their parents, took place in Canada and reported Canada-specific data, and reported child, youth and/or parental health outcomes, as well as family economic outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed by two reviewers using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

SYNTHESIS: Our search yielded 23 studies meeting the inclusion criteria out of 7052 identified. Eight studies in total measured child health outcomes, including birth outcomes, child overall health, and developmental and behavioural outcomes, and four directly addressed parental health, including mental health, injuries, and obesity. Most studies reported generally positive associations, though some findings were specific to certain subgroups. Some studies also examined fertility and labour force participation outcomes, which described varying effects.

CONCLUSION: Cash transfer programs to families with children in Canada are associated with better child and parental health outcomes. Additional research is needed to evaluate the mechanisms of effects, and to identify which types and levels of government transfers are most effective, and target populations, to optimize the positive effects of these benefits.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	433-445
Journal	Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique
Volume	113
Issue number	3
Early online date	27 Jan 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-022-00610-2
Publication status	Published - Jun 2022

Bibliographical note

© The Author(s) under exclusive license to The Canadian Public Health Association 2022. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

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10.17269/s41997-022-00610-2

Cash transfers revised 2 CLEAN FINAL
© The Author(s) under exclusive license to The Canadian Public Health Association 2022. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details
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Cite this

Fuller, A. E., Zaffar, N., Cohen, E., Pentland, M., Siddiqi, A., Vandermorris, A., Van Den Heuvel, M., Birken, C. S., Guttmann, A., & de Oliveira, C. (2022). Cash transfer programs and child health and family economic outcomes: a systematic review. Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique, 113(3), 433-445. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-022-00610-2

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abstract = "OBJECTIVES: Family income is an important determinant of child and parental health. In Canada, cash transfer programs to families with children have existed since 1945. This systematic review aimed to examine the association between cash transfer programs to families with children and health outcomes in Canadian children (ages 0 to 18) as well as family economic outcomes.METHODS: We reviewed academic and grey literature published up to November 2021. Additional studies were identified through reference review. We included any study that examined children 0-18 years old and/or their parents, took place in Canada and reported Canada-specific data, and reported child, youth and/or parental health outcomes, as well as family economic outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed by two reviewers using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.SYNTHESIS: Our search yielded 23 studies meeting the inclusion criteria out of 7052 identified. Eight studies in total measured child health outcomes, including birth outcomes, child overall health, and developmental and behavioural outcomes, and four directly addressed parental health, including mental health, injuries, and obesity. Most studies reported generally positive associations, though some findings were specific to certain subgroups. Some studies also examined fertility and labour force participation outcomes, which described varying effects.CONCLUSION: Cash transfer programs to families with children in Canada are associated with better child and parental health outcomes. Additional research is needed to evaluate the mechanisms of effects, and to identify which types and levels of government transfers are most effective, and target populations, to optimize the positive effects of these benefits.",

author = "Fuller, {Anne E} and Nusrat Zaffar and Eyal Cohen and Maximilian Pentland and Arjumand Siddiqi and Ashley Vandermorris and {Van Den Heuvel}, Meta and Birken, {Catherine S} and Astrid Guttmann and {de Oliveira}, Claire",

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Fuller, AE, Zaffar, N, Cohen, E, Pentland, M, Siddiqi, A, Vandermorris, A, Van Den Heuvel, M, Birken, CS, Guttmann, A & de Oliveira, C 2022, 'Cash transfer programs and child health and family economic outcomes: a systematic review', Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique, vol. 113, no. 3, pp. 433-445. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-022-00610-2

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AU - Fuller, Anne E

AU - Zaffar, Nusrat

AU - Cohen, Eyal

AU - Pentland, Maximilian

AU - Siddiqi, Arjumand

AU - Vandermorris, Ashley

AU - Van Den Heuvel, Meta

AU - Birken, Catherine S

AU - Guttmann, Astrid

AU - de Oliveira, Claire

N1 - © The Author(s) under exclusive license to The Canadian Public Health Association 2022. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

PY - 2022/6

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N2 - OBJECTIVES: Family income is an important determinant of child and parental health. In Canada, cash transfer programs to families with children have existed since 1945. This systematic review aimed to examine the association between cash transfer programs to families with children and health outcomes in Canadian children (ages 0 to 18) as well as family economic outcomes.METHODS: We reviewed academic and grey literature published up to November 2021. Additional studies were identified through reference review. We included any study that examined children 0-18 years old and/or their parents, took place in Canada and reported Canada-specific data, and reported child, youth and/or parental health outcomes, as well as family economic outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed by two reviewers using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.SYNTHESIS: Our search yielded 23 studies meeting the inclusion criteria out of 7052 identified. Eight studies in total measured child health outcomes, including birth outcomes, child overall health, and developmental and behavioural outcomes, and four directly addressed parental health, including mental health, injuries, and obesity. Most studies reported generally positive associations, though some findings were specific to certain subgroups. Some studies also examined fertility and labour force participation outcomes, which described varying effects.CONCLUSION: Cash transfer programs to families with children in Canada are associated with better child and parental health outcomes. Additional research is needed to evaluate the mechanisms of effects, and to identify which types and levels of government transfers are most effective, and target populations, to optimize the positive effects of these benefits.

AB - OBJECTIVES: Family income is an important determinant of child and parental health. In Canada, cash transfer programs to families with children have existed since 1945. This systematic review aimed to examine the association between cash transfer programs to families with children and health outcomes in Canadian children (ages 0 to 18) as well as family economic outcomes.METHODS: We reviewed academic and grey literature published up to November 2021. Additional studies were identified through reference review. We included any study that examined children 0-18 years old and/or their parents, took place in Canada and reported Canada-specific data, and reported child, youth and/or parental health outcomes, as well as family economic outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed by two reviewers using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.SYNTHESIS: Our search yielded 23 studies meeting the inclusion criteria out of 7052 identified. Eight studies in total measured child health outcomes, including birth outcomes, child overall health, and developmental and behavioural outcomes, and four directly addressed parental health, including mental health, injuries, and obesity. Most studies reported generally positive associations, though some findings were specific to certain subgroups. Some studies also examined fertility and labour force participation outcomes, which described varying effects.CONCLUSION: Cash transfer programs to families with children in Canada are associated with better child and parental health outcomes. Additional research is needed to evaluate the mechanisms of effects, and to identify which types and levels of government transfers are most effective, and target populations, to optimize the positive effects of these benefits.

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DO - 10.17269/s41997-022-00610-2

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JO - Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique

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