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Article History

Received: 25 April 2022

Accepted: 24 November 2022

First Online: 6 December 2022

Declarations

:

: The current study analysed primary data from previous surveys and was conducted according to the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki. According to surveys protocols, standard ethical procedures were followed in data collection in the original surveys which this study analysed, and procedures were approved by relevant ethical boards for these surveys as follows;The South African Medical Association Research Ethics Committee (SAMAREC) gave ethics approval for the conduct of YRBS 2002, 2008 and 2011 surveys, Research Ethics Committee (REC) of Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) gave ethics approval for SANHANES – 1 survey and Ethics Committee of South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Inner City Fund (ICF) Institutional Review Board gave ethics approval for the conduct of SADHS. According to survey protocols, participants and caregivers gave written informed consent for all South African surveys analysed in this study.In the European HBSC survey protocol, all participating countries are required to ensure that children’s rights are protected according to United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and further to adhere to ethical procedures as follows: 1) Ensure that procedures are in place to review ethical conducts and that national and regional guidelines for child studies are followed. 2) Ensure that any applicable legal requirements in relation to researchers working with children are satisfied. 3) Study participants and their schools, parents/guardians are fully informed about the research and that procedures are in place to enable them to withdraw from the study easily. 4) Employ written and/or oral procedures for “informed” consent; and 5) Document their national survey procedures.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.