背景:现金转移是一种有希望但研究不足的干预措施,可以保护成年人的认知功能。尽管南非人口迅速老龄化,在这种情况下,人们对现金转移和认知功能之间的联系性质知之甚少。
目的:我们利用南非儿童抚养补助金(CSG)的年龄资格扩展来调查CSG资格的持续时间与南非儿童受益人的亲生母亲的认知功能之间的关系。
方法:我们分析了944名女性2014/2015年的基线数据,40-59岁,至少有一名符合CSG资格的儿童,在阿金库尔参加了人口代表性的HAALSI队列,南非。每位母亲的CSG资格持续时间是根据其所有子女的出生日期和CSG年龄扩展年限(2003-2012年)计算的。在HAALSI基线访谈中使用认知电池测量认知功能。线性回归用于估计CSG资格持续时间之间的关联,分为低(≤10年)和高(>10年)资格,和母亲的认知功能z评分。
结果:高与CSG资格持续时间短,在全样本中与较高的认知功能z评分相关[β:0.15SD单位;95%CI:0.04,0.26;p值=0.01]。在有一到四个终身子女的母亲中,但不是五个或更多,高vs.CSG资格持续时间短,与较高的认知功能z评分相关[β:0.19SD单位;95%CI:0.05,0.34,p值=0.02]。
结论:政府提供的支持抚养子女的现金转移可能会对母亲随后的认知功能产生实质性的保护作用。需要进一步的研究来了解平等如何影响这种关系。我们的发现为决策者设计收入补充计划以促进低收入环境中健康的认知老龄化提供了证据。
BACKGROUND: Cash transfers are a promising but understudied intervention that may protect cognitive function in adults. Although South Africa has a rapidly ageing population, little is known about the nature of association between cash transfers and cognitive function in this setting.
OBJECTIVE: We leveraged age-eligibility expansions to South Africa\'s Child Support Grant (CSG) to investigate the association between duration of CSG eligibility and cognitive function of biological mothers of child beneficiaries in South Africa.
METHODS: We analysed 2014/2015 baseline data from 944 women, aged 40-59 years with at least one CSG-eligible child, enrolled in the population-representative HAALSI cohort in Agincourt, South Africa. Duration of CSG eligibility for each mother was calculated based on the birth dates of all their children and the CSG age-eligibility expansion years (2003-2012). Cognitive function was measured using a cognitive battery administered at the HAALSI baseline interview. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between duration of CSG eligibility, dichotomized as low (≤10 years) and high (>10 years) eligibility, and cognitive function z-scores of the mothers.
RESULTS: High vs. low duration of CSG eligibility, was associated with higher cognitive function z-scores in the full sample [β: 0.15 SD units; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.26; p-value = 0.01]. In mothers with one to four lifetime children, but not five or more, high vs. low duration of CSG eligibility, was associated with higher cognitive function z-scores [β: 0.19 SD units; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.34, p-value = 0.02].
CONCLUSIONS: Government cash transfers given to support raising children may confer substantial protective effects on the subsequent cognitive function of mothers. Further studies are needed to understand how parity may influence this relationship. Our findings bring evidence to policymakers for designing income supplementation programmes to promote healthy cognitive ageing in low-income settings.