Table 3.
Description of studies evaluating the influence of conditional cash transfer programs in Brazil on the recipients' food and nutrition security.
| Authors/ Program | Participants | Study design | Time and place | Outcome | Main conclusions | Methodological limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plausibility study with external control | ||||||
| Segal-Correa et al27 Set of programs | 56,037 Brazilian households with per capita income below R$ 260.00 | Cross-sectional study | Brazil (secondary data from the 2004 PNAD) | Food security or mild and moderate or severe FI (EBIA) | Increasing the value of the cash transfer by R$ 10.00 increases the family's chance of food security by 8.0%, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. | Cross-sectional study means no conclusions could be drawn on the effects of the program. |
| Vianna et al30 School grant, Gas Tickets, Food grant, Family grant | 4,533 families | Population based cross-sectional study | 14 municipalities in Paraiba in 2005 | Food security, mild and moderate or severe FI (EBIA) | Comparing families with per capita income < R$25.00, a lower prevalence of severe FI in families registered in the CCTP (reduction of 4.8%), after adjusting for income. | It was not possible to classify the families on more than one minimum wage/month. These data were not sufficient to evaluate the impact of these programs as there were no parameters for comparing the situation observed. |
| Dias et al3 PBF, municipal program Cesta Cheia, Família Feliz – Full basket, happy family | 172 families receiving Programas Bolsa Família and Cesta Cheia, Família Feliz | Population based cross-sectional study | 1 primary health care unit in a municipality in the Southeast 2009 | Food security, mild and moderate or severe FI (EBIA) | 28.0% were found to have food security and 12.0% to have severe food insecurity. Increased income lead to significant drops in food insecurity (p < 0.01). | Cross-sectional study means causal relationships between the dependent variable (food insecurity) and the independent variables cannot be proved. |
CCTP: Conditional Cash Transfer Programs; FI: Food insecurity; EBIA: Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity; PNAD: National Household Survey; PBF: Family grant program.