Swazan, Ishtehar Sharif http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8091-861X
Youn, Song-yi http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0539-5975
Article History
Received: 22 August 2023
Accepted: 16 October 2023
First Online: 24 October 2023
Declarations
:
: This research study was conducted with the utmost consideration for ethical principles and participant rights. The necessity of obtaining ethics approval and consent was assessed, and it was determined that due to the nature of the study and its methodology, formal ethics approval was waived by the University of Missouri’s (MU) Institutional Review Board (FWA No.: 00002876, IRB Registration Nos.: 00000731, 00009014). The decision to waive ethics approval was based on the terms and conditions described below: IRB Project No. 2095968, IRB Review No. 390269, Level of Review–Exempt, Project Status Active–Exempt, Exempt Categories (Revised Common Rule)–45 CFR 46.104d(2)(i), Risk Level–Minimal Risk, HIPAA Category–No HIPAA, Approved Documents—(1) Informed Consent & Assent–Consent (Exempt Studies Only): #634765, (2) Other Study Documents–Instruments (i.e., surveys): #634214, (3) Recruitment Materials–Recruitment Script: #634188. Participants who took part in this study provided informed consent before their involvement. They were fully informed about the study's purpose, procedures, potential risks, and benefits. Participants were assured that their participation was voluntary, and they were free to withdraw at any time without facing any negative consequences. The confidentiality of participants' information was maintained, and all data collected were anonymized to ensure their privacy. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact the MU IRB Office at 573-882-3181 or email to muresearchirb@missouri.edu.
: The procedures and protocols for this study were reviewed and approved by the IRB, ensuring ethical considerations were adhered to. Following the IRB procedure, we obtained consent to publish collected data.
: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.