Document is current

Article History

Received: 30 September 2025

Accepted: 17 March 2026

First Online: 10 April 2026

Declarations

:

: Under the remit of the Office of Ethical Compliance of IMI Kolkata, anonymised, non-interventional questionnaire studies of adult participants with no linked identifiers fall within the “exemption from review” category specified by the ICMR National Ethical Guidelines (2017, Table 4.2) for less-than-minimal-risk research. On this basis, formal IEC approval was not required. The study was carried out in accordance with the ethical standards of the IEC, the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments, and the ICMR guidelines. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

: Not applicable. This study does not include any identifiable personal data, images, or other materials requiring consent for publication.

: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Participants were fully informed about the objectives of the research, their voluntary participation, and their right to withdraw at any time without any consequence. Anonymity and confidentiality of responses were assured throughout the research process.

: The authors declare no competing interests.