title: Urban-Rural Differences in Health-Care-Seeking Pattern of Residents of Abia State, Nigeria, and the Implication in the Control of NCDs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding the differences in care-seeking pattern is key in designing interventions aimed at improving health-care service delivery, including prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. The aim of this study was to identify the differences and determinants of care-seeking patterns of urban and rural residents in Abia State in southeast Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional, community-based, study involving 2999 respondents aged 18 years and above. Data were collected using the modified World Health Organization's STEPS questionnaire, including data on care seeking following the onset of illness. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used to analyze care-seeking behavior and to identify differences among those seeking care in urban and rural areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both urban and rural areas, patent medicine vendors (73.0%) were the most common sources of primary care following the onset of illness, while only 20.0% of the participants used formal care. Significant predictors of difference in care-seeking practices between residents in urban and rural communities were educational status, income, occupation, and body mass index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efforts should be made to reduce barriers to formal health-care service utilization in the state by increasing health insurance coverage, strengthening the health-care system, and increasing the role of patent medicine vendors in the formal health-care delivery system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ugochukwu U
authors.initials: UU
authors.lastname: Onyeonoro
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Okechukwu S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Ogah
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Andrew U
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Ukegbu
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Innocent I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Chukwuonye
authors.affiliation: Abia State Health Insurance Scheme, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Okechukwu O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Madukwe
authors.affiliation: Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Akhimiem O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Moses
keywords: Nigeria; behavior; formal care; health care; informal care; patent medicine vendors