Randomized pilot trial of an unconditional cash transfer intervention to address food insecurity in oncology

Screening for food insecurity and other social determinants of health is being integrated into oncology practice. We performed a pilot randomized trial to investigate whether an unconditional cash transfer (UCT) could be used to address food insecurity among female breast and gynecological cancer survivors. Food-insecure cancer survivors completed a baseline survey and were randomly assigned to receive $100/month for 3 months (UCT) or usual care (UC). Participants (n = 14) completed a follow-up survey after 3 months, and we compared changes in health-related quality of life, indicators of food insecurity, diet quality, and whether a participant had to forgo, delay, or make changes to medical care because of cost. The UCT was associated with higher physical health scores, fewer indicators of food insecurity, better diet quality, and a lower likelihood of forgoing medical care than those who received UC. Our results suggest that UCTs can improve outcomes for food-insecure cancer survivors.