CGPH AFFILIATED FACULTY: Paul Gertler
DATE OF PUBLICATION: March 2013
REGION: Latin America (rural Mexico)
REFERENCE: Leroy JL, Gadsden P, González de Cossío T, Gertler P. Cash and in-kind transfers lead to excess weight gain in a population of women with a high prevalence of overweight in rural Mexico.vJ Nutr. 2013 Mar;143(3):378-83. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.167627.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: There is a growing concern that food or cash transfer programs may contribute to overweight and obesity in adults. We studied the impact of Mexico’s Programa de Apoyo Alimentario (PAL), which provided very poor rural households with cash or in-kind transfers, on women’s body weight. A random sample of 208 rural communities in southern Mexico was randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: food basket with or without health and nutrition education, cash with education, or control. The impact on women’s weight was estimated in a cohort of 3010 women using a difference-in-difference model. We compared the impact between the food basket and cash groups and evaluated whether the impact was modified by women’s BMI status at baseline.
ACCESS: Link to Pubmed