Nat Hum Behav. 2026 Apr 20. doi: 10.1038/s41562-026-02453-0. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Non-communicable chronic diseases disproportionately affect people living in low- and middle-income countries, with low linkage to care and healthcare utilization identified as contributors to the considerable unmet treatment need in these settings. Here we assess the effect of labelled cash transfers (LCTs) to incentivize clinic-based uptake of care for chronic conditions in rural Burkina Faso (German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00014734). N = 1,242 adults aged 40 years and older with diagnoses of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and diabetes were randomized to one of three trial arms to receive a high LCT of 1,000 Franc de la Communauté Financière d'Afrique (FCFA) (~US$2), a lower payment of 500 FCFA or no cash transfer. Cash transfers were labelled with an explanation of their intent. The primary trial endpoints of linkage to care and treatment uptake were not found to be significantly affected by LCT receipt. Most secondary endpoints also did not meet significance. The secondary outcome of rates of face-to-face examinations was paradoxically significantly lower in LCT recipient groups than controls; however, this finding should be interpreted with caution.
PMID:42010350 | DOI:10.1038/s41562-026-02453-0