Monthly unconditional cash transfers totaling approximately $15 000 over 4 years to mothers with low incomes did not improve maternal mental health, maternal or child BMI, or maternal report of children’s health. These results could reflect the absence of causal connections between cash transfers and health, the possibility that impacts of early childhood income may not appear until later in life, or that an 18% increase in income is insufficient to overcome the structural vulnerabilities associated with poverty that contribute to health.
[Duncan GJMagnuson KKunin-Batson AS, et al. Cash Transfers and Their Effect on Maternal and Young Children’s Health: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2025;179(8):867–875. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.1612]
