Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41691989›Full record

Trial reportSocial science & medicine (1982)2026

Unconditional cash transfers to improve health behaviors among primary care patients: a qualitative sub-study of a randomized clinical trial.

Laura A Gibson, Aaron Richterman, Aaliyah Randall, Jonathan Muruako, Beth Uzwiak, Eva Fabian, Harsha Thirumurthy, Christina A Roberto

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Social science & medicine (1982), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Laura A GibsonDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA; Penn Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Phila, PA, USA.
Aaron RichtermanDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA; Penn Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Phila, PA, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA. Electronic address: aaron.richterman@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Aaliyah RandallDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA.
Jonathan MuruakoDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA.
Beth UzwiakStory Research, Phila, PA, USA.
Eva FabianDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA.
Harsha ThirumurthyDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA; Penn Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Phila, PA, USA.
Christina A RobertoDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Med, Phila, PA, USA; Penn Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Phila, PA, USA.

Funding

The Penn Roybal Center on Behavioral Economics and Health: Solving for Scale and Impact with Design Thinking, Digital Platforms, and Dynamic AdaptationP30AG034546 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Alison Meredith Buttenheim · 2009 to 2026
$10.6M
NIA NIH HHS P30 AG034546
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Unconditional cash transfers are a popular poverty reduction approach and may influence behavioral risk factors for chronic disease outcomes through economic and psychological pathways. Few studies have used qualitative interviews to identify the mechanisms through which cash transfers delivered in a health care context might influence the health of people living with chronic diseases in the United States. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial to identify pathways through which unconditional cash transfers may influence health and assess the acceptability and feasibility of such an intervention among low-income patients receiving treatment for hypertension or diabetes. Inclusion criteria were: ≥1 visit at the Penn Family Care clinic within the six months prior to study start, ≥18 years of age, Pennsylvania Medicaid beneficiary, diagnosis of pre-diabetes or diabetes, and/or hypertension, prescribed ≥1 oral medication for diabetes or hypertension, and no plans to leave the Philadelphia metro area. Participants were randomized to either the standard of care or an unconditional cash transfer intervention, and completed an assessment at enrollment and after 12 weeks of study participation. We enrolled 100 participants from 3/2023-8/2023 and 93 attended the follow-up visit. Thirty-four participants (selected randomly) completed qualitative interviews. The interviews and survey data revealed that cash transfers were primarily used to address basic needs. We identified potential pathways through which cash transfers may improve health, including temporary reductions in stress and anxiety, changes in diet and physical activity, improved medication adherence, and increased healthcare seeking behavior. The intervention itself was viewed as highly acceptable. Participants in the control group were disappointed not to receive the intervention, but felt the process was fair because all participants were economically vulnerable. These findings suggest unconditional cash transfers may improve health for patients with chronic diseases through a variety of pathways that should be measured in future trials.

Indexed as

Health BehaviorPrimary Health CareAdherence InterventionsAdultDiabetes MellitusFemaleHumansHypertensionMaleMiddle AgedPennsylvaniaPilot ProjectsPovertyQualitative ResearchUnited StatesBasic incomeCash transfersChronic disease managementPovertySocial determinants of health

Identifiers

PMID41691989
PMCPMC13095333

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.