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Article History

Received: 28 July 2017

Accepted: 12 June 2018

First Online: 19 June 2018

Authors’ information

: FA (MPhil Nutrition), a Registered Nurse, is presently a doctoral student at the Institute of Public Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany. EC (Dr Public Health) is a Lecturer of Nutrition at the University of Ghana. AJ (PhD Tropical Medicine), an Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialist and a Professor of Public Health, is the group leader of the Research Group on Global Health Policies and Systems at the Institute of Public Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany. TG (PhD Educational Psychology) is an applied research methodologist and Assistant Professor at University of Michigan Medical School, USA.

: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana (NMIMR-IRB CPN 040/11–12). The literate participants provided written informed consent. Where illiterate, the information sheet was read out to the participant in a local language of choice, in the presence of a witness, usually a relative/friend. Participants who verbalized their willingness to participate thumb-printed the consent form as evidence. In addition, participants with whom the in-depth interviews were conducted granted permission for verbatim quoting of excerpts of their interviews in any publication. Parental consent was not obtained for teenage mothers because they were considered as emancipated adults.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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