Why do families still not receive the child support grant in South Africa? A longitudinal analysis of a cohort of families across South Africa

BMC International Health and Human Rights

Research Article

Rebecca Surender¹  Sonja Swanevelder²  Carl Lombard²  Wanga Zembe-Mkabile³  Tanya Doherty⁴  Debra Jackson⁵  David Sanders⁵  Mickey Chopra⁶ 

[1] Department of Social Policy and Intervention, Oxford University, Oxford, UK;Medical Research Council, Francie van Zyl Drive, Parow, Cape Town, South Africa;Medical Research Council, Francie van Zyl Drive, Parow, Cape Town, South Africa;Department of Social Policy and Intervention, Oxford University, Oxford, UK;Medical Research Council, Francie van Zyl Drive, Parow, Cape Town, South Africa;School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Modderdam Road, Belville, South Africa;School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Modderdam Road, Belville, South Africa;UNICEF, UNICEF House, 3 United Nations Plaza, 10017, New York, NY, USA;

关键词: Exclusive Breastfeed;    Birth Certificate;    Cash Transfer;    Identity Document;    Data Collection Point;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1472-698X-12-24

 received in 2012-02-07, accepted in 2012-10-04,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundChild cash transfers are increasingly recognised for their potential to reduce poverty and improve health outcomes. South Africa‘s child support grant (CSG) constitutes the largest cash transfer in the continent. No studies have been conducted to look at factors associated with successful receipt of the CSG. This paper reports findings on factors associated with CSG receipt in three settings in South Africa (Paarl in the Western Cape Province, and Umlazi and Rietvlei in KwaZulu-Natal).MethodsThis study used longitudinal data from a community-based cluster-randomized trial (PROMISE EBF) promoting exclusive breastfeeding by peer-counsellors in South Africa (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00397150). 1148 mother-infant pairs were enrolled in the study and data on the CSG were collected at infant age 6, 12, 24 weeks and 18–24 months. A stratified cox proportional hazards regression model was fitted to the data to investigate factors associated with CSG receipt.ResultsUptake of the CSG amongst eligible children at a median age of 22 months was 62% in Paarl, 64% in Rietvlei and 60% in Umlazi. Possessing a birth certificate was found to be the strongest predictor of CSG receipt (HR 3.1, 95% CI: 2.4 -4.1). Other factors also found to be independently associated with CSG receipt were an HIV-positive mother (HR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0-1.4) and a household income below R1100 (HR1.7, 95% CI: 1.1 -2.6).ConclusionReceipt of the CSG was sub optimal amongst eligible children showing administrative requirements such as possessing a birth certificate to be a serious barrier to access. In the spirit of promoting and protecting children’s rights, more efforts are needed to improve and ease access to this cash transfer program.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Zembe-Mkabile et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012