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Article History

Received: 17 July 2024

Accepted: 9 December 2024

First Online: 20 February 2025

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: Ethical clearance and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the study were granted by the Committee on Human Research, Publication and Ethics (CHRPE) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. (CHRPE/AP/135/20). The study was conducted in accordance with the fundamental ethical principles outlined in the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Policy, which encompasses the Declaration of Helsinki (1996), International Conference on Harmonization Good Clinical Practice (ICH GCP E6) Guidelines, Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) principles, the Belmont Report, and applicable laws and statutory regulations of Ghana and the University. By adhering to these esteemed guidelines, we ensured the highest ethical standards in the design, implementation, and reporting of our research.

: The research methodology, data collection, analysis, and reporting processes have been carried out with full compliance to the above ethical standards. All necessary Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals were obtained from the Committee on Human Research, Publication and Ethics (CHRPE) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. (CHRPE/AP/135/20); informed consent obtained, and the rights and confidentiality of all participants have been safeguarded.