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Article History

Received: 6 January 2025

Accepted: 17 April 2025

First Online: 7 May 2025

Declarations

:

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: The study received ethical approval from the Ethiopian Public Health Association’s Research Ethics Review Committee (Ref. #: EPHA/OG/382/24, June 28, 2024). Support letters and written permission to conduct the study were also sought from the regional health bureaus, zonal health departments, and relevant institutions. Verbal informed consent was acquired, and the study was conducted with voluntary participation guaranteed. The goal, advantages, and potential risks of the study were explained to each participant, along with their ability to refuse participation or to refuse to answer any questions. The interviewer recorded consent by marking the questionnaire and providing a digital signature beneath the consent statement once a responder had read the consent material and decided to participate. To protect participants’ privacy and preserve the study’s integrity, the researchers made sure that all information they collected from them was kept private and secret. We confirmed that the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.