Conditional transfer programs are increasingly popular, but the impact on household nutrient consumption has not been studied. We evaluated the... » More

Conditional transfer programs are increasingly popular, but the impact on household nutrient consumption has not been

studied. We evaluated the impact of the Programa de Apoyo Alimentario (PAL), a cash and in-kind transfer program, on the

energy and nutrient consumption of poor rural households in Mexico. The program has been shown to reduce poverty.

Beneficiary households received either a food basket (including micronutrient-fortified milk) or cash. A random sample of

206 rural communities in Southern Mexico was randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: a monthly food basket with or without

health and nutrition education, a cash transfer with a cost to the government equivalent to the food basket (14 USD/mo)

with education, or control. The impact after 14 mo of exposure was estimated in a panel of 5823 households using a

double difference regression model with household fixed effects. PAL was associated with increases (P , 0.01) in the

consumption of total energy (5–9%), energy from fruits and vegetables (24–28%), and energy from animal source foods

(24–39%). It also affected iron, zinc, and vitamin A and C consumption (P , 0.05). The consumption of energy and all

nutrients was greater in the food basket group (P , 0.05). Cash and in-kind transfers in populations that are not energydeficient

should be carefully redesigned to ensure that pulling poor families out of poverty leads to improved micronutrient

intake but not to increased energy consumption.

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