Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36962676›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2022

Multi-purpose cash transfers and health among vulnerable Syrian refugees in Jordan: A prospective cohort study.

Emily Lyles, Stephen Chua, Yasmeen Barham, Dina Jardenah, Antonio Trujillo, Paul Spiegel, Ann Burton, Shannon Doocy

Open access · goldFull text read
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Emily LylesDepartment of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6808-6862
Stephen ChuaMedair, Amman, Jordan.
Yasmeen BarhamMedair, Amman, Jordan.
Dina JardenahUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Amman, Jordan.
Antonio TrujilloDepartment of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Paul SpiegelDepartment of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6158-6661
Ann BurtonUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland.
Shannon DoocyDepartment of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2363-7998
Johns Hopkins University · USOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees · CHUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East · JO

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cash assistance has rapidly expanded in the Syrian refugee response in Jordan and global humanitarian programming, yet little is known about the effect of multipurpose cash transfers (MPC) on health in humanitarian contexts. A prospective cohort study was conducted from May 2018 through July 2019 to evaluate the effectiveness of MPC in improving access to healthcare and health expenditures by Syrian refugees in Jordan. Households receiving MPCs (US$113-219 monthly) were compared to control households not receiving MPCs using difference-in-difference analyses. Overall health care-seeking was consistently high (>85%). Care-seeking for child illness improved among MPCs but declined among controls with a significant adjusted difference in change of 11.1% (P<0.05). In both groups, child outpatient visits significantly increased while emergency room visits decreased. Changes in care-seeking and medication access for adult acute illness were similar between groups; however, hospital admissions decreased among MPCs, yet increased among controls (-8.3% significant difference in change; P<0.05). There were no significant differences in change in chronic illness care utilization. Health expenditures were higher among MPCs at baseline and endline; the only significant difference in health expenditure measures' changes between groups was in borrowing money to pay for health costs, which decreased among MPCs and increased among controls with an adjusted difference in change of -10.3% (P<0.05). The impacts of MPC on health were varied and significant differences were observed for few outcomes. MPC significantly improved care-seeking for child illness, reduced hospitalizations for adult acute illness, and lowered rates of borrowing to pay for health expenditures. No significant improvements in chronic health condition indicators or shifts in sector of care-seeking were associated with MPC. While MPC should not be considered as a stand-alone health intervention, findings may be positive for humanitarian response financing given the potential for investment in MPC to translate to health sector response savings.

Identifiers

PMID36962676
PMCPMC10021566
OpenAlexW4307931825

What OpenQuestion holds

Textfull text, public
LicenceCC BY
measurements read557
identifiers read9
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.