Unwanted pregnancies account for roughly 30% of all pregnancies in Ghana. Availability of contraceptives and usage is essential to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 3.7 which calls for universal access to contraception for use by people of all ages by 2030. The study aims to assess contraceptive usage and associated factors among adolescents in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Adolescents were drawn using multistage sampling techniques. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were run and results were presented in tables and graphs. The statistically significant p-value was pegged at less than 0.05. Almost all (97.9%) respondents have heard of contraceptives with the media being the common source of information (52.5%). The male condom (57.6%), oral pills (53.5%) and the female condom (46.9%) were the commonly known contraceptives. The majority (77.1%) knew where to get contraceptives. Common sources of contraceptives included the pharmacy (57.3%) and hospitals (37.2%). Significant differences exist between usage of contraceptives and age(p<0.001), religion (p= 0.042) and having a partner(p<0.001). Age (18 years) (AOR= 3.01, 95%CI (1.17-7.73)) and having a partner (AOR= 0.05, 95%CI (0.02-0.14)) were positively associated with current contraceptive use. Targeted public health interventions in the form of education and promotion are desirable to create awareness among adolescents who do not know about contraceptives and improve understanding of the safety of other contraceptive methods aside from male condoms and oral pills.

Background: Community pharmacies are health care facilities that allows the public access to their medications, counselling, and advice about their health. Community pharmacies play critical role in the health delivery systems of several countries especially in developing countries and serve as the first point of call for the treatment and management of many ailments, including malaria. The study therefore examined community pharmacies treatment practices of malaria and residents’ pattern of antimalarial drug use in Abura Community, in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey involving 301 study participants from the Abura Community (Cape Coast Metropolis). A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the study participants using accidental sampling technique. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS version 23.0 and Microsoft Excel 2010. Results: The age range of our study was between 15 and 60 years. Females were the majority (52.5%). The self-reported use of unprescribed antimalarial drugs was 41%. The source of the drugs were mainly community pharmacies, licenced chemical shops, self-herbal preparations, and left-over antimalarial drugs. Conclusion: A high proportion of our study participants reported self-medication of non-prescribed antimalarial drugs. These antimalarials included both orthodox and herbal medications, which were sourced from outlets like community pharmacies, licenced chemical sellers, and home herbal preparations. There is the need to intensify monitoring, public health education on self-medication and the training of staff of community pharmacies to ensure effective treatment and management of malaria at the community level.