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Article History

Received: 1 January 2025

Accepted: 25 April 2025

First Online: 9 May 2025

Declarations

:

: For conducting the study, ethical approval was obtained from the Inonu University Noninvasive Clinical Research and Publication Ethics Committee (Decision No: 2022/3724), permission was received from the institution where the data would be collected, and the protocol of the study was registered at (NCT06755749, Registration Date: 31.01.2023). In addition, this study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. All women in the study were informed about the study on the first page of the data collection tools, and their informed consent was obtained. The participant recruitment process in the study was designed by taking the characteristics of individuals who are illiterate into account. The information and consent processes were supported with verbal and visual (e.g., figures, symbols, pictures) communication materials. The participants were informed about the objective, methodology, expected benefits, and potential risks of the study in detail by the participants during face-to-face meetings. Simple and clear language that all participants could understand was used in this process. The verbal informed consent of the participants was obtained, and this situation was documented in the presence of a witness. This allowed the inclusion of illiterate participants in the study in line with ethical principles. The researchers made additional explanations when the participants had any questions or concerns, and the inclusion of the participants was on a voluntary basis.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.