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Food transfers, cash transfers, behavior change communication and child nutrition: Evidence from Bangladesh:

Author

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  • Ahmed, Akhter
  • Hoddinott, John F.
  • Roy, Shalini

Abstract

The importance of children’s nutritional status for subsequent human capital formation, the limited evidence of the effectiveness of social protection interventions on child nutrition, and the absence of knowledge on the intra-household impacts of cash and food transfers or how they are shaped by complementary programming motivate this paper. We implemented two, linked randomized control trials in rural Bangladesh, with treatment arms including cash transfers, a food ration, or a mixed food and cash transfer, as well as treatments where cash and nutrition behavior change communication (BCC) or where food and nutrition BCC were provided. Only cash plus nutrition BCC had a significant impact on nutritional status, but its effect on height-for-age z scores (HAZ) was large, 0.25SD. We explore the mechanisms underlying this impact. Improved diets – including increased intake of animal source foods – along with reductions in illness in the cash plus BCC treatment arm are consistent with the improvement we observe in children’s HAZ.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmed, Akhter & Hoddinott, John F. & Roy, Shalini, 2019. "Food transfers, cash transfers, behavior change communication and child nutrition: Evidence from Bangladesh:," IFPRI discussion papers 1868, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:1868
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    Cited by:

    1. Quisumbing, Agnes & Ahmed, Akhter & Hoddinott, John & Pereira, Audrey & Roy, Shalini, 2021. "Designing for empowerment impact in agricultural development projects: Experimental evidence from the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) project in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    2. Duchoslav, Jan & Kenamu, Edwin & Thunde, Jack, 2023. "Targeting hunger or votes? The political economy of humanitarian transfers in Malawi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    3. Premand, Patrick & Barry, Oumar, 2022. "Behavioral change promotion, cash transfers and early childhood development: Experimental evidence from a government program in a low-income setting," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Harris-Fry, Helen & Saville, Naomi M. & Paudel, Puskar & Manandhar, Dharma S. & Cortina-Borja, Mario & Skordis, Jolene, 2022. "Relative power: Explaining the effects of food and cash transfers on allocative behaviour in rural Nepalese households," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    5. Barrera,Oscar & Macours,Karen & Premand,Patrick & Vakis,Renos, 2020. "Texting Parents about Early Child Development : Behavioral Changes and Unintended Social Effects," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9492, The World Bank.
    6. Derek Headey & Marie Ruel, 2023. "Food inflation and child undernutrition in low and middle income countries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Salauddin Tauseef, 2022. "The Importance of Nutrition Education in Achieving Food Security and Adequate Nutrition of the Poor: Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 84(1), pages 241-271, February.
    8. de Groot, Richard & Yablonski, Jennifer & Valli, Elsa, 2022. "The impact of cash and health insurance on child nutrition during the first 1000 days: Evidence from Ghana," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    9. Mohamed Kalid Ali & Renée Flacking & Munshi Sulaiman & Fatumo Osman, 2022. "Effects of Nutrition Counselling and Unconditional Cash Transfer on Child Growth and Family Food Security in Internally Displaced Person Camps in Somalia—A Quasi-Experimental Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-13, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    BANGLADESH; SOUTH ASIA; ASIA; social protection; nutrition; children; cash transfers; behavior; food transfer; behavior change communication; O10 Economic Development: General; I38 Welfare; Well-Being; and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs; D13 Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation

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