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Article History

Received: 28 March 2025

Accepted: 9 February 2026

First Online: 9 March 2026

Declarations

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: Appropriate ethical approval to conduct this research was obtained from the Research Affairs Directorate Office, Mekelle University, Ethiopia (RADO/EXTERNAL/SS008/2024) before commencement of the study. The University’s ethical statements are in line with the international standards declaration, which dictates that researchers apply moral and professional codes of conduct to the collection, analysis, reporting and publication of information about research subjects. In this study, the researchers obtained informed consent from the research participants before the data collection began. The consent statement encompasses the aim and relevance of the research undertaken, the information required from participants and the potential effects of the research on them. Participants were informed that they were free to withdraw from the research at any time and that the data would be confidential, anonymous, and treated in a way that protects the privacy of participants. While participants who could read and write were made to read the consent form themselves, for the participants who were not able to read and write, the consent statement was orally presented to them by the enumerators. Once they understood the consent statement, they signed to participate in an interview voluntarily.

: Consent from all participants was obtained for research findings to be reported and published in an anonymous summary form.

: The authors declare no competing interests.