Bolsa Família Programme and the reduction of child mortality in the municipalities of the Brazilian semiarid region.

In 2003, the Brazilian federal government launched the Bolsa Família Programme (Programa Bolsa Família - PBF), a widespread conditional cash transfer to poor households when they comply with conditions related to health and education. A longitudinal ecological study using panel data from 1,133 municipalities of the Brazilian semiarid region was performed. The main goal was to assess the effect of the PBF on child mortality (CM) in the semiarid region of Brazil during the period of 2004-2010. Associations were estimated using a multivariate linear regression for the panel data with fixed effects. The child mortality rate (CMR) was considered the dependent variable, adjusted for relevant social and demographic covariates, and for the effect of the largest primary healthcare scheme in the country through the Family Health Strategy (FHS). The PBF and the FHS played significant roles in reducing CM, increasing prenatal consultations, reducing illiteracy rates, lowering fertility levels, and decreasing the number of individuals living in households with inadequate access to water supplies and sanitation. In conclusion, the PBF had a positive impact on reducing CM levels; its impact was boosted by the intervention of other social and demographic factors.