Background Unintended pregnancy leads to unsafe abortion, which is one of the commonest causes of maternal deaths in developing countries including Ghana. Lots of unintended pregnancies can be avoided using emergency contraceptives (EC). Emergency contraceptives are mostly used after unprotected sexual intercourse and have a ninety-nine percent chance of preventing unintended pregnancy when taken correctly. However, unlike other modern contraceptives such as condoms, emergency contraceptives cannot prevent sexually transmitted infections. Objectives This study aimed at assessing the factors influencing the use of emergency contraceptives among reproductive-age women in the Kwadaso Municipality, Ghana. Methods A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted in three sub-municipalities of the Kwadaso Municipality. A multistage sampling method was used to select 312 women in their reproductive age within households. A simple random sampling method was first used to select the sub-municipalities (Kwadaso Central, Asuoyeboah, and Agric-Nzema). Participants were selected from households through a systematic sampling procedure and responses were solicited from women who consented to participate in the study. The selection was strictly dependent on the number of eligible women in a household, that is, in an event where more than one woman was found in a household, a simple random sampling method was used to select only one woman from that household. STATA 15.0 was used to analyse the data. Binary logistic regression was used to find the adjusted estimates and associations between EC use and the exposure variables. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant at 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Results The findings showed that 79.67% of the women had ever used EC. Amongst them, 59.83% used EC following unexpected unprotected sex, and 24.69% used EC following failed coitus interruptus. Women’s attitude towards EC (AOR = 8.52, p<0.001), religion (AOR = 4.56, p = 0.004), and monthly income (AOR = 0.29, p = 0.030) were found to have significant influence on their use of EC. Conclusion The level of EC use among the women was high. Women’s attitude towards EC, religion, and monthly income were the major factors influencing the use of EC. Thus, strategies to promote EC use should emphasize on addressing the attitude of women towards EC through sex education in schools, various religious institutions, and the community at large with the services of health authorities and support from governmental and non-governmental organizations whose focus is to address the need for reproductive health services in order to reduce the misconception regarding the use of EC.

BackgroundGlobally, overweight and obesity are becoming a mounting concern, impacting negatively on the health of populations especially in low-income settings. However, there is paucity of epidemiological information available in Ghana to support intervention activities. We conducted a study among public servants to estimate overweight/obesity, hypertension and diabetes prevalence and associated risk factors.MethodsA descriptive cross sectional survey involving 271 purposively sampled public servants aged 20 to 59 years was conducted. We used a structured questionnaire to collect data on eating patterns, risk factors for overweight and obesity, as well as data on socio-demographics and physical activity. Anthropometric measurements were carried out and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Information on blood pressure and diabetes was also gathered. We used descriptive statistical and logistic regression analyses to, respectively, estimate overweight/obesity prevalence, and examine associations between behavioral factors and overweight/obesity and hypertension/diabetes.ResultsThe overall hypertension/diabetes, overweight and obesity prevalence were 20, 29.9 and 4.8% respectively. The study found that marital status (p < 0.001), leisure time with physical activity and level of physical activity during work (p < 0.035) as well as morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension (p < 0.012) were significantly associated with BMI. Findings showed no significant relationship between mealtime, eating habits, education, age and body mass index. Even though prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher among respondents who travelled to work by car compared to respondents who used motor bikes or walked, the association between weight status and means of transport was not statistically significant. Both smoking (p = 0.730) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.109) were not linked to weight status.ConclusionPopulation-based interventions are needed to promote nutritious food selection and consumption, physical activity and healthy life styles. We also recommend that age and gender-specific interventions should be designed and implemented by relevant authorities to promote and support healthy living and healthy-lifestyles at home and in workplaces.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40608-017-0153-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.