Background: Globally, young adults and college athletes are primary targets of the marketing campaigns of energy drink companies. Consequently, it is reported that young adults and college athletes consume energy drinks frequently. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of energy drink consumption among student-athletes selected from seven public universities in Ghana. The study assessed the energy drink consumption patterns, types usually consumed, frequency of consumption and reasons why athletes consumed energy drinks. Methods: A total number of 180 student-athletes gave their consent to participate in the study and completed a questionnaire which was administered during an inter-university sports competition.

BackgroundDespite numerous educational programmes to create awareness about iodized salt and iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), a survey conducted in the Western Region of Ghana in 2007 revealed that the goitre rate stood at 18.8%; and 78.1% of households consumed iodized salt, which is below the goal of the IDD programme in Ghana which aimed at 90% household consumption of iodized salt by the end of 2005 and sustaining the gains by 2011. It was therefore, considered timely to investigate the knowledge levels and the extent of utilization of iodized salt among the people living in Bia District, the District with the lowest intake (77.4%) of iodized salt based on findings of the 2007 survey.MethodsThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study. It was conducted among a total of 280 household members, mainly in charge of meal preparation, who were interviewed using a structured interview guide. A combination of cluster and simple random sampling techniques was used to select the respondents from all the seven sub- districts in Bia District.ResultsThe study revealed that 75.6% of households in the district consumed iodized salt (including households described as occasional users of iodized salt), and knowledge of iodized salt was quite high, as 72% of the respondents knew that not every salt contained iodine. In addition, 69.3% indicated that an inadequate intake of iodized salt can lead to the development of goitre. Despite the high awareness level, only 64.6% of respondents indicated that they exclusively used iodized salt for cooking. The main reason given by exclusive users of common salt was that the price of iodized salt is a little higher than that of common salt.ConclusionsAlthough majority of the respondents are aware of the importance of iodized salt and iodine deficiency disorders, only 64.6% exclusively used iodized salt, suggesting that respondents' high knowledge levels did not necessarily translate into an increase in the number of households who used iodized salt. Existing laws and policies on universal salt iodization and quality assurance of iodized salt from the production stage to the distribution/selling stage should be enforced.

Without gains in nutritional outcomes, it is unlikely that school feeding programmes (SFP) could improve cognition and academic performance of schoolchildren despite the improvements in school enrolment. We compared the nutrient intake adequacy and Fe and nutritional status of SFP and non-SFP participants in a cross-sectional survey involving 383 schoolchildren (aged 5 -13 years). Quantitative 24 h recalls and weighed food records, repeated in 20 % subsample, were used to estimate energy and nutrient intakes adjusted for day-to-day variations. The probability of adequacy (PA) was calculated for selected micronutrients and the mean of all PA (MPA) was calculated. The concentrations of Hb, serum ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and anthropometric measurements were used to determine Fe and nutritional status. Energy and nutrient intakes and their adequacies were significantly higher among SFP participants (P, 0·001). The MPA of micronutrients was significantly higher among SFP participants (0·61 v. 0·18; P,0·001), and the multiple-micronutrient-fortified corn soya blend was a key contributor to micronutrient adequacy. In SFP participants, 6 g/l higher Hb concentrations (P,0·001) and about 10 % points lower anaemia prevalence (P¼ 0·06) were observed. The concentration of sTfR was significantly lower among SFP participants (11·2 v. 124 mg/l; P¼0·04); however, there was no difference in the prevalence of Fe deficiency and Fe-deficiency anaemia between SFP and non-SFP participants. There was also no significant difference in the prevalence of thinness, underweight and stunting. In conclusion, the present results indicate that school feeding is associated with higher intakes and adequacies of energy and nutrients, but not with the prevalence of Fe and nutritional status indicators. The results also indicate an important role for micronutrient-dense foods in the achievement of micronutrient adequacy within SFP.Key words: Ghana School Feeding Programme: Iron-deficiency anaemia: Micronutrient adequacy: Nutrition of schoolchildren: 24 h dietary recalls Chronic malnutrition is highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among poor rural households (1) , and it is mainly caused by morbidity and inadequate dietary intake (2) . Infants and young children are most affected by the physical and mental deficits occurring due to chronic malnutrition. These deficits are carried over into the school-age period, where they retard cognitive function, educability and future productivity (1) . Most interventions at the household and community levels are, however, preferentially targeted outside the first 1000 d of life (1,3) . 'The school' may serve as a platform for targeted interventions, such as school feeding programmes (SFP), to contribute to the fulfilment of the nutritional needs of children outside the first 1000 d of life. However, in settings where school enrolment and attendance are low, targeting interventions at schoolchildren may still be problematic. In Africa and other developing continents,...

Background: Teenage pregnancies, human immuno deficiency virus and other sexually transmitted diseases infection, are an important public health issue because they are associated with maternal, fetal, neonatal and other adverse outcomes. Adolescent girls who get pregnant are likely to drop out from school and adolescent parents are unlikely to have the social and economic means to raise children. Objective: The study was conducted to assess contraceptive knowledge, perceptions and use among adolescents in selected Senior High Schools in the Central Region of Ghana. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Cosmopolitan city of Cape Coast of the Central Region of Ghana. Three mixed, one female and one male senior high school were conveniently identified for the study. A self-administered questionnaire was given to 350 students in the schools out of which 300 were retrieved and used, representing a response rate of 85.7%. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) programme software (version 15.0) was used for data entry, and descriptive statistics tests were conducted for the items which were summarised by frequencies and percentages. Results: Results showed that almost 21% of 244 students with knowledge of contraception are users, 82% of sexually active respondents were non-users while condom is the most common contraceptive method used. Also, 60% and 30% of respondents obtained knowledge about contraception from the media (TV/Radio) and peers (friends) respectively. However, almost 32% of the study participants thought contraceptives are for only adult married

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