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Article History

Received: 5 November 2024

Accepted: 28 July 2025

First Online: 20 August 2025

Declarations

:

: This study was approved by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Biomedical Research Ethics Committee, South Africa (BREC/00006040/2023), and the Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee (GHS-ERC:001/11/23). Permission was also granted by the administrative committees of the three selected health facilities. The purpose of the study was explained to pregnant women to inform their decision to participate or otherwise and questions that emerged were clarified. Pregnant women who agreed to participate in the study signed an informed consent form (English or Twi - a local language, depending on their preference). Interviewer-administered questionnaires (uploaded on a Tablet) were used to collect the data as the principal investigator is fluent in both languages. To ensure privacy and confidentiality, interviews were conducted in a separate room in the antenatal department after respondents had consented to participate in the study. Data were deidentified to avoid tracing information back to the respondents.

: The consent for data collection also included permission for the publication of the respondents’ anonymized data.

: The authors declare no competing interests.