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Article History

Received: 31 December 2025

Accepted: 23 July 2026

First Online: 28 July 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of FMC Keffi (Ethical clearance number: FMC/KF/HREC/02881/25), received on 10th July 2025. Prior to data collection, written informed consent was obtained from all participants. The consent process included a clear explanation of the study’s purpose, procedures, potential risks and benefits, and was conducted in a language understandable to participants. Participation was entirely voluntary, and respondents were informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences. Interviews were conducted by trained research assistants who received guidance on ethical conduct, maintaining confidentiality, and techniques to minimize interviewer bias. All data were anonymized, securely stored, and accessible only to the study team to ensure confidentiality and integrity. No personal identifiers were collected, and data handling adhered to ethical standards for research involving human participants. The study adhered to the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent for participation: Consent for participation was collected from all study participants prior to their involvement in the research. Participants were informed of the study’s purpose, procedures, and potential risks. They were assured that their participation was voluntary and that their personal information would remain confidential. Written consent was obtained before data collection began.

Consent for publication: Not applicable.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.