Chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are prevalent among rural Afar populations in Ethiopia, yet access to healthcare is often limited due to geographical and economic barriers. Participants will be recruited through convenience sampling from rural Afar communities. Data collection will include self-reported health status assessments and electronic device usage logs with a sample size of at least 200 participants per year for two years. By the end of Year 2, an estimated 75% of participants reported improved adherence to their medication regimens compared to baseline levels. The digital healthcare platforms demonstrated significant potential in enhancing chronic disease management among rural Afar dwellers but require further customization and user engagement strategies. Further research should explore the long-term sustainability of these interventions and identify factors that influence platform usage, including socio-economic determinants. Treatment effect was estimated with logit (pᵢ) =₀+^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.
Mengistu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.