1. The impact of conditional cash transfers on nutrition outcomes: Experimental evidence from Mexico.
- Author
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Kronebusch N and Damon A
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Mexico epidemiology, Motivation, Overweight epidemiology, Diet statistics & numerical data, Micronutrients administration & dosage, Nutritional Status, Poverty statistics & numerical data, Public Assistance statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
In this paper, we study the effect of Progresa, a conditional cash transfer program in Mexico, on the micronutrient and macronutrient consumption levels of program participants. Overall, we find that Progresa has a complicated effect on nutrition outcomes. We find that treatment households increase their vitamin consumption by 15 percent and mineral consumption by 7 percent. Our results indicate that conditional cash transfers may have important positive effects on vitamin A, iron, and possibly calcium, which are under-consumed by a vast majority of the Mexican population. We also find that Progresa increases consumption of processed carbohydrates by 23 percent and saturated fat by about 5 percent. These findings suggest that Progresa has a dual effect on the nutrition outcomes of Progresa eligible households, likely improving macro- and micronutrient consumption levels, but also increasing the consumption of food categories that likely lead to increased prevalence of overweight and obesity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2019
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