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Article History

Received: 6 November 2025

Accepted: 17 February 2026

First Online: 2 March 2026

Declarations

:

: Ethical oversight and approval for this non-interventional, community-based survey were provided by the Cameroonian Ministry of Public Health, the national authority responsible for public health research. The study received formal administrative authorization (Reference: N109/L/MINSANTE/SG/DSRPE/DSN/SSD) from the competent authorities of the Ndelele sub-division, endorsed by the district health officer. This authorization constituted the requisite ethical clearance for this research context. All procedures were conducted in accordance with core ethical principles, including those of the Declaration of Helsinki. Individual written informed consent was obtained from each participant following a detailed explanation of the study’s procedures and potential risks. It was expressly emphasized that participation was entirely voluntary and that participants could withdraw at any time without consequence.

: The confidentiality of all participant data was strictly guaranteed. The data presented in this article are anonymized and contain no personally identifiable information. Therefore, specific consent for publication was not required.

: The authors declare no competing interests.