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Article History

Received: 29 May 2025

Accepted: 25 August 2025

First Online: 28 August 2025

Declarations

:

: This study utilized publicly available, de-identified data from the 2022 TDHS, accessible online through the DHS program. The original survey received ethical approval from both the National Institute of Medical Research Ethics Committee in Tanzania and the ICF Macro Ethics Committee in Calverton, New York. Permission to use the data for this secondary analysis was granted by the DHS program upon acceptance of the proposed analysis plan under the designated account, with credentials available upon request via . As this study involved secondary data analysis of publicly accessible datasets, no additional ethical approval was required. However, during analysis, all data analysed were conducted in accordance with DHS Program data use policies, with access limited to authorized researchers to maintain confidentiality.

: Informed consent was obtained from all participants during the initial survey, and all procedures adhered strictly to relevant guidelines and regulations. Further details regarding DHS data usage and ethical standards can be found at .

: As this study used anonymized secondary data with no identifiable participant information, individual consent for publication was not required. Manuscript preparation adhered to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

: The authors declare no competing interests.