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Article History

Received: 11 September 2024

Accepted: 27 March 2025

First Online: 8 April 2025

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenants of the Declaration of Helsinki. Before the study started, the necessary ethics approvals were obtained from the ULS de Santo António (2020-089 072-DEFI/ 073-CE) and ULS Póvoa de Varzim/Vila do Conde (no number). The study was considered exempt from detailed ethics submission at ULS de São José, where the first author was undergoing dietitian training.

: Written informed consent for participation was obtained from all interviewees, including consent for audio recording and the publication of de-identified data. For pregnant women attending observed nutrition appointments, we obtained oral informed consent for conducting observations and note-taking, with no personal data being recorded. The informed consent processes included the following details: the health condition under investigation; the study’s purpose, nature and duration; a statement emphasizing voluntary participation; and the researchers’ contact information for any future queries about the study. The written informed consent also compromised of an explanation of the procedures for ensuring data protection, confidentiality, and privacy (including the duration of data storage). No individually identifiable data was included in the manuscript. Participants were given the option to withdraw their consent at any time following data collection.