Effects of a cash-plus intervention combining conditional cash transfer with social and behaviour-change communication on pregnancy weight and birth weight in India

Abstract Low birth weight is a major contributor to population ill health. Here, using data collected between January 2021 and August 2024, we performed an interrupted time-series analysis to assess the effect of a government-led cash-plus intervention in India on maternal weight and birth weight. The intervention targeted parity-two births and combined cash transfers and social behaviour-change communication to improve nutrition. Birth weight and third-trimester pregnancy weight was available for 90,732 newborns and 60,899 of their mothers. We observed an absolute reduction in the prevalence of low birth weight of 7.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.3–9.6) and an increase in mean third-trimester pregnancy weight of 3.4 kg (95% CI 3.0–3.8). This cash-plus intervention, implemented within existing government systems in a setting with a high burden of maternal and newborn undernutrition, was associated with improved pregnancy weight gain and a reduction in the prevalence of low birth weight.