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Article History

Received: 15 January 2024

Accepted: 16 March 2025

First Online: 28 March 2025

Declarations

:

: Ethical approval (AKHREC/18/05/22/094) was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health.Informed consent was obtained from respondents before engagement in the surveys, FGDs and KIIs. Permission to contact staff was obtained from the management of all organizations involved before staff were contacted for their consent. Participation was voluntary and at no cost to participants. For participants without formal education, the informed consent form was read and interpreted to them in the local language they were familiar with, before their participation. The questions were also explained to them in the local language, where necessary. Confidentiality was ensured throughout the processes by using codes for participants and the removal of all participants’ identifiers from the tools. Participants were also informed about their rights to withdraw from the study at any time without fear of reprisal and interviews were conducted in locations that ensured audio-visual privacy to eliminate undue influence. Data collected for this research is kept in a locked cabinet, to be used solely for research, and will be destroyed six months after the conclusion of the study. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that was still on, physical distancing was observed by the research team and participants. Face masks and hand sanitizers were provided for the research team and participants’ use. All participants were treated with respect irrespective of race, creed or gender. Interviews were conducted in areas that were comfortable for the respondents and ensured their audio-visual privacy.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.