Summary characteristics of included studies
| Study | Study design | Study period | Country | Type of humanitarian setting | Type of cash transfer (intervention) | Health outcome/services | Population source | N participants |
| Abu-Hamad et al. 201429 | Mixed-methods Quantitative: Quasi-experimental Qualitative: In-depth interviews, FGDs, key informant interviews, observations | April–May 2013 June/July 2013 | Gaza, Palestine | Man-made crises (human conflict) | Unconditional cash transfer Monetary value and time-period not given. | -Psychological health | Children (<18 years) benefiting from the Palestinian National Cash Transfer Programme (PNCTP) and caregivers living in Gaza Key informants (eg, gov officials, NGOs) were also interviewed | Quantitative: 4497 people Qualitative:
|
| Aker et al. 201730 | Randomised control trial | August/September 2011–March 2012 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Man-made crisis (human conflict) | Unconditional cash transfer US$130 over 7-month period in three disbursements (September, November, February 2012) |
| Informal camp in the Masisi territory of DRC, total population ~2500 individuals. | 474 households (237 cash intervention, 237 comparison group receiving vouchers) |
| Bliss et al. 201631 | Longitudinal cohort study | April–September 2012 | Niger | Environmental (food crisis) | Unconditional cash transfer US$296 over 6-month period in monthly disbursements. (160 000 West African Francs) |
| Children aged 6–36 months in 420 households enrolled in an emergency cash transfer programme in Niger | 420 households (all enrolled in the intervention) |
| Bliss et al. 201832 | Quasi-experimental | July–September 2012 | Niger | Environmental (food crisis) | Conditional cash transfer condition: Mothers to attend a health and nutrition education session prior to each cash transfer ~US$250 over 3-month period in 3 monthly disbursements (125 000 West African Francs) |
| Households in a conditional emergency CTP programme that occupied the second-lowest wealth category and had a child 6–23 months that was not wasted or had diseases. | 423 households (211 cash intervention, 212 comparison group that did not receive cash) |
| Doocy et al. 2020 A33 | Prospective cohort study | November 2018–April 2019 | Somalia | Man-made crises (human conflict) Environmental (drought, food crisis) | Unconditional cash transfer combined with in-kind food and electronic vouchers. ~US$450 over 4-month period |
| Pregnant and lactating women in El-bon Camp in the District of Wajid and adjacent neighbourhoods for 'non-assistance' group. | 514 pregnant and lactating women (baseline and endline comparison) |
| Doocy et al. 2020 B 34 | Prospective cohort study | November 2018–April 2019 | Somalia | Man-made crises (human conflict) Environmental (drought, food crisis) | Unconditional cash transfer combined with in-kind food and electronic vouchers. ~US$450 over 4-month period |
| Households in El-bon Camp in the District of Wajid and adjacent neighbourhoods for 'non-assistance' group with children aged 6–59 months. | 490 households (n=269 mixed transfer group (cash, in-kind, voucher), n=162 food voucher group comparison group, n=59 no assistance comparison group) |
| Edmond et al. 201935 | Non-randomised population-based intervention study | December 2016–December 2017 | Afghanistan | Man-made crises (human conflict) | Conditional cash transfer condition: for mother delivery at a health facility and for CHW when accompanying/referring a mother to the health facility ~US$15 one-time (mother) (1000 Afghani),~US$5 one-time (CHW) (300 Afghani) |
| Women that had given birth to one or more children in the last 12 months residing in the study districts of the three provinces (Badghis, Bamyan and Kandahar) | 4929 women (2453 intervention with 1199 baseline, 1254 endline) (2476 control receiving standard care with 1242 baseline, 1234 endline) |
| Falb et al. 202036 | Mixed methods Quantitative: Prospective cohort study Qualitative: in-depth interviews | March–August 2018 | Syria | Man-made crises (human conflict) | Unconditional cash transfer US$228 over a 3-month period in monthly disbursements. |
| All HH with a woman aged 18–59 years from a beneficiary household in Raqqa Governorate, Syria. | 512 women at baseline, 456 at endline (baseline and endline comparison) |
| Freccero et al. 201937 | Qualitative study (focus groups+in-depth interviews) | 2017–2018 | Cameroon, Afghanistan | Man-made crises (human conflict) | Cameroon: multipurpose cash programme (~US$300 over a 6-month period in monthly disbursements) Afghanistan: one-time amount for non-food items (~US$80–198) (for both: unclear whether conditional or unconditional) | Self-reported changes in health (not more detail provided on specific health outcomes) | Participants receiving multipurpose cash transfers through International Red Cross programmes in Cameroon and Afghanistan. | 211 individuals, 100 Afghanistan, 111 Cameroon (all enrolled in intervention) |
| Green et al. 201638 | Cluster-randomised trial | April 2009 | Uganda | Man-made crises (human conflict) | Unconditional cash transfer ~US$150 one-time combined with a programme for business skills training and follow-up support | Depression using modified version APAI depression subscale | 120 communities (villages, transit sites, and displacement camps in Gulu and Kitgum districts) in Northern Uganda | 1800 individuals (868 intervention receiving cash, 866 comparison group not receiving cash) |
| Grijalva-Eternod et al. 201839 | Non-randomised cluster trial | March–November 2016 | Somalia | Man-made crises (IDP camps) | Unconditional cash transfer ~US$420 over a 5- month period in monthly disbursements |
| IDP camps located in Weydow area, Deyniile district, Mogadishu. Recipients of cash transfer were female household representatives | 228 households (111 intervention, 117 comparison not receiving cash) with 332 children (155 intervention, 177 comparison not receiving cash) |
| Gros et al. 201940 | Mixed-methods Quantitative: quasi-experimental Qualitative: focus groups and in-depth interviews | May 2016–October 2017 | Bangladesh | Environmental (flooding) | Unconditional cash transfer (forecast-based) ~US$60 one-time (5000 Bangladesh taka) |
| Poor households in flood-prone communities of the Brahmaputra river basin. | 390 households (174 intervention, 216 comparison not receiving cash) |
| Hagen-Zanker et al. 201841 | Qualitative study (focus groups+in-depth semi-structured interviews) | 2016 | Jordan | Man-made crises (refugees) | Unconditional cash transfer Monetary value and time-period not given. | Self-reported effect on access to health, stress, and anxiety | Working age Syrian refugees in Jordan and key informants (policy-makers, practitioners at national level) | Over 140 Syrian refugees across 60 interviews and FGDs (37 interviews and 7 FGDs intervention, 10 interviews and 5 FGDs comparison group not receiving cash) |
| Hidrobo et al. 201442 | Randomised control trial | May–October 2011 | Ecuador | Man-made crises (IDP camps) | Unconditional cash transfer US$240 over 6-month period in 6 monthly disbursements |
| Colombian refugees and Ecuadorian locals in seven urban centres in the provinces of Carchi and Sucumbíos | 2087 households receiving either cash, food or control (unclear N for each group) |
| Hou 201043 | Randomised control trial | 1998–2000 | Mexico | Environmental (drought) | Conditional cash transfer condition: not given Monetary value and time-period not given. |
| HH across seven states in Guerrero, Hidalgo, Michoacan, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, and Veracruz | 10 541 (6362 intervention, 4179 controls not receiving cash) |
| Kurdi 202147 | Cluster randomised control trial | Baseline sample: December 2014–January 2015 Follow-up sample: July–August 2017 | Yemen | Man-made crisis (Civil war) | Conditional cash transfer condition: attendance of nutritional training and compliance with monitoring and treatment of malnutrition 2015:~42 US$ per woman per 3 months in 2015 (9000 Yemeni riyal) 2016/2017:~28 US$ per woman in 10–11 monthly disbursements |
| HH with young children in Yemen. To meet treatment arm criteria women had to be “second priority” potential beneficiaries. | Baseline: 2000 HH (1001 treatment, 999 control HH) Follow-up: 1850 re-surveyed, 95 additional replacement HH |
| Lyles et al. 2021 A48 | Quasi-experimental prospective cohort | October 2018–January 2020 | Jordan | Man-made crisis (refugees) | CHV intervention +conditional cash transfer group condition: quarterly group education sessions and home visits, usage of appropriate services requiring participants to provide receipts ~211 US$ per person per 3 months (150 Jordanian Dinar) Multi-purpose unconditional cash (MPC) transfer group ~113–219 US$ per household per 3 months (80–155 Jordanian Dinar) Time period not given |
| Syrian refugees with type II diabetes residing outside of camps in Amman and Zarqa governorates of Jordan | Baseline: 560 (156 CHV only, 203, CHV +CCT, 201 MPC) Endline: 482 (128 CHV only, 179 CHV +CCT, 175 MPC) |
| Lyles et al. 2021 B49 | Prospective cohort | May 2018–July 2019 | Lebanon | Man-made crisis (refugees) | Multi-purpose unconditional cash transfer ~173.5 US$ per family per month (260 000 Lebanese pound) Time period not given. |
| Vulnerable Syrian refugee households sampled from UNHCR registration lists receiving MPCs (intervention) and similarly vulnerable households not receiving MPCs | Baseline: 617 HH (173 MPC intervention, 444 control group) Endline: 168 MPC, 375 control group (follow-up 1 year) |
| MacPherson and Sterck 202144 | Quasi-experimental | September–October 2017 | Kenya | Man-made crises (refugee settlement) | Cash transfer (unclear whether conditional or unconditional) ~US$14–17 per person per month (unclear time period) (1400–1708 Kenyan Shilling) |
| Refugees in Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement in Kenya | 1874 refugees (1126 households) (914 intervention, 960 control (Kakuma camp)) |
| Moussa et al. 202250 | Quasi-experimental (regression discontinuity design) | Survey (wave 1): February–March 2019 Survey (wave 2): July–August 2019 | Lebanon | Man-made crises (refugees) | Multi-purpose unconditional cash transfer (monetary value unclear) Discontinued (12 months) Short run (up to 10 months) Long-term (16–22 months) |
| Syrian refugee children (<19 years) from discontinued cash recipient households, short-run and long-term recipient households living in Lebanon | 6,207 HH (2992 wave 1, 3215 wave 2) with 24 859 observations (11 843 wave 1, 13 016 wave 2) |
| Schwab 202045 | Cluster randomised control trial | November 2011–October 2012 | Yemen | Man-made crises (human conflict) | Unconditional cash transfer ~US$147 over 3-month period in 3 monthly disbursements (10 500 Yemeni riyals) |
| 135 village clusters in rural Yemen. | 1983 people (982 intervention receiving cash, 1001 comparison receiving in-kind food) |
| Sibson et al. 201846 | Cluster randomised control trial | March 2015–November 2015 | Niger | Environmental (food-crisis) | Unconditional cash transfer
|
| Children aged 6–59 months, living in villages receiving unconditional cash transfer. | 1130 HH standard intervention 963 HH modified intervention. Sampled 1959 children and obtained baseline measures from 1831 (2093 intervention, 495 control) |
| Tossou 202151 | Cross-sectional | July 2020 | Togo | Environmental (COVID-19 pandemic) | Unconditional cash transfer Monetary value and time period not given. | Health service and healthcare utilisation | National household survey covering 44 districts in six health regions in Togo: HH heads, consenting adults, children 10–17 years were surveyed | 955 beneficiaries |
ANC, antenatal care; APAI, Acholi Psychosocial Assessment Instrument; CHV, community health volunteer; CHW, community healthcare worker; CTP, cash transfer program.programme; DDS, dietary diversity score; DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo; FCS, food consumption score; HFIAS, household food insecurity access scale; HH, household; HHS, household hunger scale; IDP, internally displaced people; MAD, minimum acceptable diet; MDDW, minimum dietary diversity for women; MUAC, mid-upper arm circumference; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire; PNC, postnatal care; PNCTP, Palestinian National Cash Transfer Programme; WG-SS, Washington group disability short set; WHZ, waist-to-hip ratio.