Participants and recruitment
The CoMIC research team was already present on site before the study commenced, carrying out informal discussions for the purpose of the study within the community and identifying potential stakeholder groups. Study participants were recruited through purposive sampling by social mobilizers utilizing community networks and ensuring ethnic and geographical diversity and representation from all areas of TMK. Snowballing technique was used to identify further participants from the various identified groups, including healthcare professionals (doctors from the public and private sector, lady health workers (LHWs), nurses and midwives), community representatives, policy makers, religious leaders, government officials (district administrators) and parents of children under five. Participants were mostly approached face-to-face except for some government officials who were contacted via telephone, while all IDIs and FGDs were conducted face-to-face in the community or offices of the health care providers and government officials. To maintain gender balance, both male and female participants were interviewed in each identified stakeholder group.