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Article History

Received: 16 July 2023

Accepted: 18 April 2025

First Online: 24 May 2025

Declarations

:

: The research received ethical approval in Ethiopia from the Amhara Public Health Institute Regional Public Health Research Ethics Review Committee (Date: 16 September 2021) and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Institutional Review Board (Date: 21 October 2021, IRB No: 16604). All participants were briefed on the purposes and procedures of the study and provided oral informed consent prior to participation and were given the option to refer at any time. All methods were carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, including relevant guidelines on ethical approval and consent to participate. These considerations were made when developing the study protocol and associated study materials, including the informed consent procedures. In designing this research, our team aimed to reduce risk of transmission of COVID- 19. We designed study procedures so that the research team and participants could maintain social distance and avoid touching the same materials, including pens and paper. In consultation with local stakeholders, we determined that oral consent was preferable to written consent, as it would allow participants to maintain social distance and avoid passing pens and paper back and forth. Both our US-based and Ethiopia-based IRB approved the use of oral consent as part of the protocol following these considerations.

: Not applicable

: The authors declare no competing interests.