Funding for this research was provided by:
Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (FRP-1440-11)
Article History
Received: 25 December 2019
Accepted: 3 August 2020
First Online: 21 September 2020
Ethics approval and consent to participate
: The DHS surveys have been reviewed and approved by ICF Institutional Review Board (IRB). The ICF IRB approved the study protocol, survey instruments and materials prior to the commencement. This ensures that the survey complies with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulations for the protection of human subjects. National Health Research Ethic Committee, Nigeria. Ghana Health Service, Individual consent was also obtained during the data collection process. Verbal informed consent was sought from DHS respondents (those who could not sign nor thumbprint) to all the questionnaires as well as drawing of blood in surveys. Further to that was a verbal informed consent sought by the interviewer reading a prescribed statement to the respondent and recording in the questionnaire whether or not the respondent consented (or provided assent on behalf of minors). Interviewers then signed his or her name attesting to the fact that he/she read the consent statement to the respondent and they agreed to participate. All of which were approved by the IRB.
: Not applicable.
: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.