Cash transfers targeting adolescent wellbeing: a scoping review of the literature in low- and middle-income countries

Case Studies & Research
2026
15 p.
Periodical title
Global Health Action, 19(1)

Creating healthy food environments is central to improving adolescent nutrition; a life-stage characterised by rapid growth, body composition changes and heightened nutrient requirements. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), cash transfer (CT) programmes are increasingly implemented as poverty-alleviation strategies to influence diet quality and related health behaviours by relaxing household budget constraints. While evidence demonstrates CT effects on nutrition and health in infancy and early childhood, few studies have evaluated their impact in adolescents in LMICs. We conducted a scoping review of randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies (2012–2025) evaluating CT interventions reporting adolescent (10–19 years) outcomes in LMICs.

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