I assume you are talking about a pour strip at the perimeter of a Tilt-up concrete wall. If this is the case, the pour strip is generally used to "stabalize" the base of the wall. Dowels are generally installed in the panel, these dowels will lap reinforcing bars in the pour strip, which either extend into the slab, or lap bars which extent from the slab into the pour strip.
The idea is that the out-of-plane loads would be transfered to, and resisted by the weight of the floor slab. Out-of-plane loads may also be resisted by the passive soil pressure of the backfill, however, I have typically seen this ignored. In-plane loads (if applicable) can also be transfered to the slab, and/or footing, through the pour strip.
The pour strip also provided for constion methods. Typically the tilt-up panels are cast on the finished slab, then lifted into place. The pour strip, typically about 4'-0" wide, helps to prevent the panels from chipping the slab as they are set in place. It also alows a trench to be formed in the soil on each side of the panel so that the base of the panels can be grouted.
I hope this answers your questions.