New York ? Poor New Yorkers who make healthy choices – such as staying in school and regularly seeing the doctor – should be rewarded with cash to help break the cycle of poverty, Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested Monday.

The idea, which has seen success in countries including Brazil and Mexico, developed out of an anti-poverty commission’s report released Monday. The commission did not specifically propose using rewards but did suggest the city find innovative ways to help its 1.5 million poor lift themselves out of poverty.

The commission said many New Yorkers are locked in a cycle of poverty in which built-in conditions trap them into failure. For example, those who fall behind on vaccinations and doctor checkups may suffer from poor health and struggle to keep jobs.

Paying modest rewards might help break those patterns, the mayor said.

“We want to reward those who have the initiative to go out and try to make their lives better, and if the system is stacked against them making their lives better, that’s what we’re trying to change,” Bloomberg said.