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NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES: WHAT CARE, WHO CARES? [Abstract ID: 1207-17]
We have limited understanding of how Ethiopians make choices about healthcare particularly in the context of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs). A particular problem is default from NCD clinics especially in rural areas where traditional medicine and practices are prevalent. This is a poorly studied area which threatens to undermine efforts to manage important diseases. We have studied clinic default in 99 patients with epilepsy and 94 with hypertension and compared them with 248 non-defaulting controls. All were recruited from five rural clinics around Jimma, Ethiopia. The analysis of an interviewer administered questionnaire exploring the impact of demographic and social factors as well as traditional and religious beliefs on clinic default will form the content of this presentation.