Study Results
Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.
View full resultsBasic Information
Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
NA
1000 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2018-05-09
2028-08-31
Brief Summary
Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.
Specifically, 1,000 mothers of infants with incomes below the federal poverty line from four diverse U.S. communities were recruited from post-partum wards and are receiving monthly cash gift payments by debit card for the first 76 months of the child's life. Parents in the experimental group and receiving $333 per month ($3,996 per year), whereas parents in the active comparator group are receiving a nominal monthly payment of $20. In order to understand the impacts of the added income on children's cognitive and behavioral development, the investigators are assessing treatment group differences at ages 4 (this lab assessment was postponed from age 3 to age 4 due to Covid-19), 6, and 8 in lab-administered measures of cognitive, language, and self-regulation development and maternal reports of socio-emotional development. A number of other maternal-reported child outcome measures were gathered at ages 1, 2 and 3. Brain circuitry may be sensitive to the effects of early experience even before early behavioral differences can be detected. In order to understand the impacts of added income on children's brain functioning at age 4, 6, and 8, the investigators will assess, during a lab visit, experimental/active comparator group differences in measures of brain activity (electroencephalography \[EEG\]). The targeted age for each data collection wave is around the child's birthday, i.e. at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 72 months, and 96 months.
To understand how family economic behavior, parenting, and parent stress and well-being change in response to income enhancement, the investigators will assess experimental/active comparator differences in family expenditures, food insecurity, housing and neighborhood quality, family routines and time use, parent stress, mental health and cognition, parenting practices, and child care and preschool arrangements. School readiness and outcomes are being assessed at ages 6 and 8. This study will thus provide the first definitive understanding of the extent to which income plays a causal role in determining early child cognitive, socio-emotional and brain development among low-income families.
Related Clinical Trials
Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.
A Family-Centered Intervention Program for Preterm Infants: Effects and Their Biosocial Pathways
NCT01807533
Improving Brain Development in Medically Healthy Premature Infants
NCT00065364
Early Behavioral Intervention for Preterm Infants
NCT02379130
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm and Term Children
NCT02309697
Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
NCT07101757
Detailed Description
Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.
BFY was originally formulated to study the effects of monthly unconditional cash transfers on child development for the first three years of life, with the cash gifts set to be distributed for 40 months (3 years, 4 months). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to postpone in-person research activities, the cash transfers were extended for an additional year, through 52 months (4 years, 4 months), enabling us to postpone in-person direct child assessments to age 4. The investigators successfully arranged funding to extend the cash gifts for a total of 76 months - the approximate boundary between early and middle childhood - and informed the study participants in August 2022 about the additional 2-year extension of cash transfer.
The targeted age for each data collection wave is around the child's birthday, i.e. at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 72 months, and 96 months. Interviews conducted at child ages 1, 2 and 3 provided information about family functioning as well as several maternal reports of developmentally-appropriate measures of children's cognitive and behavioral development. At ages 4, 6 and 8 measures of cognitive, language, and self-regulation development were or will be administered in university labs, while socio-emotional development is assessed via maternal report. EEG-based measures of brain activity were assessed in the home at age 1 and in labs at ages 4, 6 and 8. At age 6 and 8 the investigators will collect school behavior and engagement data.
Conditional on participants' consent and our success in securing agreements with state and county agencies, the investigators are also collecting state and local administrative data regarding parental employment, utilization of public benefits such as Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), and any involvement in child protective services.
The family process measures that the investigators will gather are based on two theories of change surrounding the income supplements: that increased investment and reduced stress will facilitate children's healthy development. The investigators are obtaining measures of both of these pathways annually. Investment pathway: Additional resources enable parents to buy goods and services for their families and children that support cognitive development. These include higher quality housing, nutrition and non-parental child care; more cognitively stimulating home environments and learning opportunities outside of the home; and, by reducing or restructuring work hours, more parental time spent with children. Stress pathway: A second pathway is that additional economic resources may reduce parents' own stress and improve their mental health. This may allow parents to devote more positive attention to their children, thus providing a more predictable family life, less conflicted relationships, and warmer and more responsive interactions.
The compensation difference between families in the high and low cash gift groups will boost family incomes by $3,760 per year, an amount shown in the economics and developmental psychology literatures to be associated with socially significant and policy relevant improvements in children's school achievement. After accounting for likely attrition, a total sample size of 800 at age 4, 6 and 8 years, divided 40/60 between high and low payment groups, provides sufficient statistical power to detect meaningful (roughly .20 SD) differences in cognitive, emotional and brain functioning, and key dimensions of family context.
Measures and preregistered hypotheses about child- and family-based measures at all data collection waves are shown in the two tables in the Statistical Analysis Plan in "Other Documents" below; child-focused preregistered hypotheses are presented in Appendix Table 9 and maternal and family focused preregistered hypotheses are presented in Appendix Table 10. The investigators will update this registry with Age 8 measures and preregistered hypotheses before data collection begins in July 2026. The lab-based assessments at child ages 6 and 8 are part of Phase 2 of the project. The Phase 1 analysis plan covers ages 1-4.
Conditions
See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.
Study Design
Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.
RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
BASIC_SCIENCE
SINGLE
Study Groups
Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.
Monthly cash gift payments of $333
These subjects receive $333 each month for 76 months via debit card.
Monthly cash gift payments of $333
These subjects receive $333 each month for 76 months via debit card.
Monthly cash gift payments of $20
These subjects receive $20 each month for 76 months via debit card.
Monthly cash gift payments of $20
These subjects receive $20 each month for 76 months via debit card.
Interventions
Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.
Monthly cash gift payments of $333
These subjects receive $333 each month for 76 months via debit card.
Monthly cash gift payments of $20
These subjects receive $20 each month for 76 months via debit card.
Eligibility Criteria
Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.
Inclusion Criteria
2. household income below the federal poverty threshold in the calendar year prior to the interview, counting the newborn;
3. infant admitted to the newborn nursery and not requiring admittance to the intensive care unit;
4. residence in the state of recruitment;
5. mother not "highly likely" to move to a different state or country in the next 12 months;
6. infant to be discharged in the custody of the mother;
7. English or Spanish speaking (necessary for administration of instruments used to measure some of the child outcomes);
8. singleton birth
Exclusion Criteria
18 Years
FEMALE
No
Sponsors
Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.
Columbia University
OTHER
University of Wisconsin, Madison
OTHER
New York University
OTHER
University of Maryland
OTHER
University of Nebraska
OTHER
University of Minnesota
OTHER
University of New Orleans
OTHER
University of Michigan
OTHER
Duke University
OTHER
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
NIH
University of California, Irvine
OTHER
Responsible Party
Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.
Greg Duncan
Professor
Principal Investigators
Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.
Greg Duncan, PhD
Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
University of California, Irvine
Locations
Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.
12 hospitals in the following four metropolitan areas: New York, Omaha, New Orleans, and Twin Cities
New York, New York, United States
Countries
Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.
References
Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.
Troller-Renfree SV, Morales S, Leach SC, Bowers ME, Debnath R, Fifer WP, Fox NA, Noble KG. Feasibility of assessing brain activity using mobile, in-home collection of electroencephalography: methods and analysis. Dev Psychobiol. 2021 Sep;63(6):e22128. doi: 10.1002/dev.22128. Epub 2021 Jun 4.
Troller-Renfree SV, Sperber JF, Hart ER, Costanzo MA, Gennetian LA, Meyer JS, Fox NA, Noble KG. Associations between maternal stress and infant resting brain activity among families residing in poverty in the U.S. Biol Psychol. 2023 Nov;184:108683. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108683. Epub 2023 Sep 15.
Costanzo MA, Magnuson KA, Gennetian LA, Halpern-Meekin S, Noble KG, Yoshikawa H. Contraception use and satisfaction among mothers with low income: Evidence from the Baby's First Years study. Contraception. 2024 Jan;129:110297. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110297. Epub 2023 Oct 6.
Sperber JF, Gennetian LA, Hart ER, Kunin-Batson A, Magnuson K, Duncan GJ, Yoshikawa H, Fox NA, Halpern-Meekin S, Noble KG. Unconditional Cash Transfers and Maternal Assessments of Children's Health, Nutrition, and Sleep: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Sep 5;6(9):e2335237. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35237.
Premo EM, Magnuson KA, Lorenzo NE, Fox NA, Noble KG. Mental health and sleep quality of low-income mothers of one-year-olds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infant Ment Health J. 2023 Jul;44(4):572-586. doi: 10.1002/imhj.22074.
Troller-Renfree SV, Hart ER, Sperber JF, Fox NA, Noble KG. Associations among stress and language and socioemotional development in a low-income sample. Dev Psychopathol. 2022 May;34(2):597-605. doi: 10.1017/S0954579421001759. Epub 2022 Mar 8.
Collins JM, Halpern-Meekin S, Harvey M, Hoiting J. "I Don't Like All Those Fees" Pragmatism About Financial Services Among Low-Income Parents. J Fam Econ Issues. 2022 Nov 5:1-14. doi: 10.1007/s10834-022-09873-w. Online ahead of print.
Yoo PY, Duncan GJ, Magnuson K, Fox NA, Yoshikawa H, Halpern-Meekin S, Noble KG. Unconditional cash transfers and maternal substance use: findings from a randomized control trial of low-income mothers with infants in the U.S. BMC Public Health. 2022 May 5;22(1):897. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-12989-1.
Noble KG, Magnuson K, Gennetian LA, Duncan GJ, Yoshikawa H, Fox NA, Halpern-Meekin S. Baby's First Years: Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Poverty Reduction in the United States. Pediatrics. 2021 Oct;148(4):e2020049702. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-049702. Epub 2021 Sep 2.
Troller-Renfree SV, Costanzo MA, Duncan GJ, Magnuson K, Gennetian LA, Yoshikawa H, Halpern-Meekin S, Fox NA, Noble KG. The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Feb 1;119(5):e2115649119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2115649119.
Adams EJ, Scott ME, Amarante M, Ramirez CA, Rowley SJ, Noble KG, Troller-Renfree SV. Fostering inclusion in EEG measures of pediatric brain activity. NPJ Sci Learn. 2024 Apr 2;9(1):27. doi: 10.1038/s41539-024-00240-y.
Collins JM, Halpern-Meekin S, Harvey M, Hoiting J. "If I don't have credit, I don't have anything": Perspectives on the credit scoring system among mothers with low incomes. J Consum Aff. 2023 Winter;57(4):1605-1622. doi: 10.1111/joca.12561. Epub 2023 Sep 30.
Barnes C, Halpern-Meekin S, Hoiting J. "I Used to Get WIC... But Then I Stopped": How WIC Participants Perceive the Value and Burdens of Maintaining Benefits. RSF. 2023 Sep;9(5):32-55. doi: 10.7758/rsf.2023.9.5.02.
Gennetian LA, Duncan G, Fox NA, Halpern-Meekin S, Magnuson K, Noble KG, Yoshikawa H. Unconditional Cash and Family Investments in Infants: Evidence from a Large-Scale Cash Transfer Experiment in the U.S. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2023 Feb 7:rs.3.rs-2507540. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2507540/v1.
Gennetian LA, Duncan GJ, Fox NA, Halpern-Meekin S, Magnuson K, Noble KG, Yoshikawa H. Effects of a monthly unconditional cash transfer starting at birth on family investments among US families with low income. Nat Hum Behav. 2024 Aug;8(8):1514-1529. doi: 10.1038/s41562-024-01915-7. Epub 2024 Jun 21.
Halpern-Meekin S, Gennetian LA, Hoiting J, Stilwell L, Meyer L. Monthly unconditional income supplements starting at birth: Experiences among mothers of young children with low incomes in the U.S. J Policy Anal Manage. 2024 Summer;43(3):871-898. doi: 10.1002/pam.22571. Epub 2024 Mar 2.
Egan-Dailey S, Gennetian LA, Magnuson K, Duncan GJ, Yoshikawa H, Fox NA, Noble KG. Child-directed speech in a large sample of U.S. mothers with low income. Child Dev. 2024 Nov-Dec;95(6):2045-2061. doi: 10.1111/cdev.14139. Epub 2024 Jul 29.
Das A, Osypuk TL, Yoo PY, Magnuson K, Gennetian LA, Noble KG, Bruckner TA. Poverty reduction and childhood opportunity moves: A randomized trial of cash transfers to low-income U.S. families with infants. Health Place. 2024 Sep;89:103320. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103320. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
Hart ER, Gennetian LA, Sperber JF, Penalva R, Magnuson K, Duncan GJ, Halpern-Meekin S, Yoshikawa H, Fox NA, Noble KG. The effect of unconditional cash transfers on maternal assessments of children's early language and socioemotional development: Experimental evidence from U.S. families residing in poverty. Dev Psychol. 2024 Dec;60(12):2290-2305. doi: 10.1037/dev0001824. Epub 2024 Aug 22.
Stilwell L, Morales-Gracia M, Magnuson K, Gennetian LA, Sauval M, Fox NA, Halpern-Meekin S, Yoshikawa H, Noble KG. Unconditional Cash and Breastfeeding, Child Care, and Maternal Employment among Families with Young Children Residing in Poverty. Soc Serv Rev. 2024 Jun;98(2):260-292. doi: 10.1086/729364. Epub 2024 May 22.
Duncan GJ, Magnuson K, Kunin-Batson AS, Yoshikawa H, Fox NA, Halpern-Meekin S, Ainsworth NJ, Black SR, Nelson JM, Nelson TD, Georgieff MK, Karhson D, Gennetian LA, Noble KG. Cash Transfers and Their Effect on Maternal and Young Children's Health: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2025 Aug 1;179(8):867-875. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.1612.
Sperber JF, Gennetian LA, Hart ER, Kunin-Batson A, Magnuson K, Duncan GJ, Yoshikawa H, Fox NA, Halpern-Meekin S, Noble KG. The Effect of a U.S. Poverty Reduction Intervention on Maternal Assessments of Young Children's Health, Nutrition, and Sleep: A Randomized Control Trial. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 May 26:2023.05.25.23290530. doi: 10.1101/2023.05.25.23290530.
Provided Documents
Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.
Document Type: Study Protocol: Phase 1 Study Protocol
Document Type: Study Protocol: Phase 2 Study Protocol
Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan
Document Type: Informed Consent Form: Age 4 Consent
Document Type: Informed Consent Form: Age 6 Consent
Related Links
Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.
This website is for Study Participants for general study information and contact information.
Study Research Website
Other Identifiers
Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.
More Related Trials
Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.