Document is current

Article History

Received: 19 February 2025

Accepted: 26 February 2026

First Online: 20 March 2026

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study received ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Ethical approval was granted on 22 May 2023 under Approval No. SEIRB/2205/2023. The study employed a non-experimental, survey-based research design involving minimal risk, with no anticipated physical, psychological, or social harm to participants. All research procedures were conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines and international ethical standards, including the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (2013 revision).

: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their inclusion in the study. Consent was collected electronically through the first page of the online survey, which required participants to read the study information sheet and actively confirm their agreement before proceeding to the questionnaire. The consent process was administered by the research team during the formal data collection period from 1 June 2023 to 30 June 2023. Participants were informed of the purpose of the study, the voluntary nature of participation, the assurance of anonymity, the absence of any physical, psychological, or social risks, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. The scope of the consent included agreement to participate in the survey and the use of anonymized data for research and publication purposes. The study involved adult participants only; therefore, no vulnerable individuals or minors were included, and no guardian consent was required. As this was a non-interventional, survey-based study, participants were clearly informed about how their data would be used, stored, and protected. No personally identifiable information was collected at any stage.