Afya Credit Incentives for Improved Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in Kenya

Antenatal care (ANC), facility delivery and postnatal care (PNC) are proven strategies that can tackle the high burden of maternal and child mortality and morbidity currently witnessed in sub-Saharan Africa. However very few pregnant women utilize these services. This study aims to assess the impact, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of conditional cash transfers (CCTs) to promote increased and uninterrupted contact between pregnant women and the formal healthcare system in Siaya County, Kenya. The study is a cluster randomized controlled trial with the intervention being a conditional cash transfer to women each time they honour their health appointments for ANC, facility birth and PNC visits until their new-borns reach 1 year of age. Study participants are pregnant women identified during their first ANC visit (n = 7200), and their subsequent new-borns. Mothers and their children are followed up throughout their health visits and at 3 additional time points. Trial clusters are 48 public primary health facilities, (24 in the intervention arm and 24 in the control arm). The primary outcomes are: a) proportion of all eligible ANC visits made during pregnancy; b) delivery at health facility; c) proportion of all eligible PNC visits honoured; d) proportion of referrals honoured during pregnancy and postnatal period; e) proportion of child immunizations received. Secondary outcomes include; health screening and infection control, live birth, maternal and child survival 48 hours after delivery, exclusive breastfeeding, birth spacing and self-rated wellness of mother and new-born at respective time points. Primary outcomes will be measured through abstraction of health records at the health facilities attended by the women during the trial period and supplemented by data collection using an electronic based system that comprises of a card and reader system installed at recruited study facilities. Secondary data will be abstracted from the women's medical records at t