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Article History

Received: 29 October 2025

Accepted: 20 January 2026

First Online: 28 January 2026

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study received ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Aksum University College of Health Sciences (Ref. No: 035/2024) on February 29, 2024.All methods were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Formal permission was secured from administrative authorities at all participating hospitals prior to data collection. To ensure confidentiality, all data were anonymized at the point of collection, with participant identifiers replaced by coded numbers. For illiterate participants, consent was obtained via thumbprint in the presence of an impartial witness. All participants, including guardians of newborns provided written informed consent after the studies goal, procedures, risks, and benefits were elucidated. Participation was voluntary, and respondents retained the right to withdraw at any stage without consequence.

: Not applicable.