Eze, Joy Nkiru http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1708-9182
Ozoh, Obianuju Beatrice http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7865-4771
Otuu, Fred Chibuisi
Shu, Elvis Neba
Anyaehie, Bond Ugochukwu http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5606-1780
Article History
Received: 22 October 2021
Accepted: 28 February 2022
First Online: 14 March 2022
Declarations
:
: Approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Review Committees of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Authorization letter for entry into the prison environment was obtained from the Prison authorities. The index study was done in accordance with the guidelines and regulations of the Ethics Review Committees of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka, for conducting research in human subjects. We recognize that prisoners are a vulnerable population and we took extra care to obtain informed consent without exploitation. We ensured that prison inmates understood the concept, objectives; and voluntary nature of study; and were allowed to make informed decision either to participate or withdraw their participation at any point during the study. There was no further need to obtain informed consent from a legal guardian of each inmate as these inmates were adolescents (Age 16 years and above), and adults who could take personal informed decisions. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Innocenti Research Brief- 2017<sup>34</sup> discussed extensively recommendations on methods of conducting research with Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. This brief focuses on the rapidly evolving capacities of adolescents to make informed choices about their involvement in research and states that, ‘For minimal risk research, in cold-cognitive and non-emotionally charged states, and in the absence of coercion or undue influence, even young adolescents (aged 10+) can be assumed to have capacity to provide informed consent’. Spirometry is a very safe procedure and participants in the index study voluntarily provided informed consent to participate in the study without coercion. Prison inmates who had history of mental illness that could influence informed decisions to participate, and their ability to respond appropriately to the questionnaires or perform spirometry were excluded from the study.
: Not applicable.
: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.