Dolati Sepideh, Barzegar Ali, Mohammadi-Nasrabadi Fatemeh, Abdollahi Morteza, Khodayari-Zarnaq Rahim
Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutritionand Food sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Food and Nutrition Policy and Planning Research Department, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jul 2;25(1):2219. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23451-3.
: Poor nutrition in pregnancy is a common cause of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Cash transfer support programs for impoverished and nutritionally vulnerable pregnant mothers positively impact maternal and fetal health, decrease the prevalence of low birth weight, and reduce infant mortality rates…The objective of this study was to examine the impact of a cash transfer program on the weight gain and anemia status of pregnant mothers, as well as the birth weight and growth rate of their infants in Iran.
A retrospective field trial study was conducted in 4 regions of Iran: Ardabil, Jiroft, Kerman, and Abadan. Of pregnant mothers, 432 were randomly selected and placed into two groups: the cash transfer (intervention) and the eligible non-supported (control group). The intervention group received 250,000 Toman (approximately 21 USD) cash transfers every two months, from the fourth month of pregnancy to sixth months after giving birth. Maternal age, education, and occupation, the occupation of the household head, pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal weight gain, and hemoglobin levels at the 4th and 8th months of pregnancy, birth weight, infants' head circumference and weight trends at 2, 4, and 6 months were recorded. Chi-square, paired t-test, and repeated measurement ANOVA were used by IBM SPSS.
Maternal hemoglobin levels significantly decreased in both groups by the 8th month of pregnancy compared to the 4th month. The prevalence of anemia increased in both groups, but the increase was significantly smaller in the intervention group (32.5% vs. 42.2%, p = 0.024). Undesirable weight gain was reduced in both groups, with a more significant reduction in the intervention group (36.0% vs. 50.5%, p = 0.042). Birth weight (3056.9 ± 492.2 gr vs. 2921.3 ± 505.5 gr) and weight at 2 months (4946.2 ± 868.8 gr vs. 4697.2 ± 947.3 gr) were significantly higher in the cash transfer group compared to the control group (p = 0.005). The interaction between time and group on infant weight gain was statistically significant (p = 0.012).
Implementing a cash transfer program can lead to improved weight gain during pregnancy, more appropriate birth weights for infants, and better weight gain at 2 months. Given the positive impact of cash transfer programs on maternal and child health indicators, further studies are needed to address the challenges faced by these support programs.
孕期营养不佳是孕产妇和婴儿死亡及发病、低出生体重和宫内生长受限（IUGR）的常见原因。针对贫困且营养状况脆弱的孕妇的现金转移支持项目对孕产妇和胎儿健康产生积极影响，降低低出生体重的发生率，并降低婴儿死亡率……本研究的目的是考察现金转移项目对伊朗孕妇体重增加和贫血状况以及其婴儿出生体重和生长速率的影响。
在伊朗的4个地区开展了一项回顾性现场试验研究：阿尔达比勒、吉罗夫特、克尔曼和阿巴丹。从孕妇中随机选取432名并分为两组：现金转移组（干预组）和符合条件但未获支持组（对照组）。干预组从怀孕第4个月至产后第6个月，每两个月获得250,000托曼（约合21美元）的现金转移。记录孕妇年龄、教育程度、职业、户主职业、孕前体重指数、孕期体重增加情况以及怀孕第4个月和第8个月时的血红蛋白水平、出生体重、婴儿在2个月、4个月和6个月时的头围和体重变化趋势。使用IBM SPSS软件进行卡方检验、配对t检验和重复测量方差分析。
与怀孕第4个月相比，两组孕妇在怀孕第8个月时血红蛋白水平均显著下降。两组贫血患病率均有所上升，但干预组上升幅度明显较小（32.5%对42.2%，p = 0.024）。两组孕妇体重增加不理想的情况均有所减少，干预组减少更为显著（36.0%对50.5%，p = 0.042）。现金转移组的出生体重（3056.9±492.2克对2921.3±505.5克）和2个月时的体重（4946.2±868.8克对4697.2±947.3克）显著高于对照组（p = 0.005）。时间和组间对婴儿体重增加的交互作用具有统计学意义（p = 0.012）。
实施现金转移项目可使孕期体重增加情况得到改善，婴儿出生体重更加合适，且2个月时体重增加情况更好。鉴于现金转移项目对母婴健康指标具有积极影响，需要进一步研究以应对这些支持项目所面临的挑战。
