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Article History

Received: 18 January 2022

Accepted: 5 January 2023

First Online: 18 January 2023

Declarations

:

: Ethical approval was granted by the Excellence in Research and Scientific Integrity (ERES) and Boston University Medical Campus Institutional Review Boards. Authority to conduct the study was obtained from the Zambia National Health Research Authority (NHRA). Informed consent was obtained from all participants in writing. All methods were performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. To ensure informed consent, before data collection, participants were given and asked to read the consent form (Additional file ) translated into the local language. Research assistants read the consent form for those who could not read. The consent form provided information on the background and purpose of the study and the data collection process. It also contained a detailed description of the participants’ autonomy with regard to participants’ rights during the data collection process and the right to refuse or withdraw from the study. Potential benefits, risks and discomforts associated the study were also explained. To make it easy for the participants to understand the consent form, research assistants explained every aspect in the language of the participants’ choosing. To make it easy for the participants to understand the consent form, research assistants explained every aspect; they also requested the participants to ask questions or seek clarification, if they had any, before commencing data collection. Next, participants willing to participate in the interview were asked to provide written informed consent; those who could not read or write were asked to mark with an ‘X’. After consenting to participate in the interview, each respondent was asked to complete a short demographic questionnaire before the actual interview. The questionnaire was translated into the local language. Research assistants read the questionnaire and filled it in for those who could not read.

: Not applicable.

: We declare that as authors we have no conflicting interest in this work.