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Article History

Received: 20 June 2025

Accepted: 12 January 2026

First Online: 21 January 2026

Declarations

:

: Conducting qualitative research with incarcerated participants is ethically justifiable and important because it gives voice to a marginalised population whose lived experiences may reveal essential insights about health issues in prisons. The study was conducted at Maula Prison in Malawi, with ethical approval sought from the College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee (COMREC) approval number P11/23–0468, and permission from the Malawi Prisons Authority. All research procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of COMREC and the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Men who are incarcerated, being a vulnerable population, the researcher ensured that their status would not influence their responses by ensuring that interviews were conducted in a private room where only the researcher and participants were present. Participants were informed of the nature, purpose, benefits, and risks associated with the study. The informed consent form was made available in English and Chichewa, and participants were given the option to withdraw at any time. Participation was voluntary, such that the researcher made sure that the participation was not influenced by their prison status. The consent forms adopted the formats for both literate and illiterate subjects as per COMREC and WHO research standards. For anonymity, no names of participants were used in the study.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.