A systematic review of risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Background: The prevalence and risk factors of type 2 diabetes vary across the urban and rural milieus of Ghana’s Ashanti Region, yet no study has been conducted to synthesise the available studies. Methods A comprehensive literature search was carried out in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science with hand searches in Google Scholar and grey literature between May 15, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Searches were made for articles published between January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020 on type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Ashanti region of Ghana. MeSH terms and keywords, separated by some Boolean operators were used. Results The searches yielded a total of 268 articles, of which 12 studies were selected for the final review. Physical inactivity and obesity were identified as the major risk factors of type 2 diabetes in the region. Higher prevalence of the disease was also identified in females. In terms of rural and urban divides, type 2 diabetes mellitus was found predominantly among urban dwellers. Conclusion Findings from the study call for mass sensitisation and awareness creation on the diabetes, to ensure that people are well informed on the dynamics of the disease in the region and by extension, the country at large.