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Article History

Received: 27 June 2020

Accepted: 26 July 2021

First Online: 18 August 2021

Declarations

:

: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Mekelle University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) with a reference number of ERC 1435/2018. Permission was obtained from all relevant authorities in the Afar regional health bureau and participating district health offices. In the beginning, community consent was secured from the influential group (religious and clan leader). Verbal consent was secured before conducting each of the interviews. Taking written consent in a population with a high illiteracy rate seems less reliable than verbal consent. In such a population who do not read and write, a written consent imposes fear on the consent content, so they feel they are held accountable. Considering the high illiteracy rate and fear of accountability for having a written consent to participate in the study, verbal consent was sought feasible and had been applied. Moreover, the verbal consent procedure was approved by the IRB of MUCHS. A one-page consent letter was attached to the cover page of each questionnaire as an information sheet which includes a detailed description about the purpose of the study, benefit, risk of participating in the study, voluntary nature of participation, and the right to withdraw from the study. Identification of informant was possible only through specific identification numbers. Also, the privacy and confidentiality of collected information were maintained. Data were de-identified and de-linked and kept in a secure location by setting strong passwords to prevent access from the research team.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare that they do not have competing interests.