Prevalence study of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Ashanti region of Ghana: a systematic review of risk factors

Figures & data

Figure 1: Flowchart of all synthesised literature.

Table 1: Summary of findings of studies included in the review to examine the risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus among adult Ghanaians in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Article/Author	Characteristics of respondents	Sampling technique	Study area/location	Result
Addo i.^Citation25	A total of 5 290 adults aged between 25 and 70 living in Europe and Ghana	Random sampling	Both rural and urban residents of Kumasi	Diabetes prevalence increased with increasing level of education in urban areas In rural Ghana, the prevalence of diabetes was higher in men and women with a higher level of education
Agbogli et al.^Citation26	The study involved a total of 113 participants	Random sampling	Oforikrom Sub- Metro	Sedentary lifestyle activities, overweight and obesity were major risk factors fo diabetes Diabetes prevalence was similar in both males and females.
Aikins et al.^Citation19	Data were gathered through 26 focus-group discussions with 180 individuals, aged 21–70	Simple random	Asuoyeboah, Atonsu, Obuasi, Denyase, and Akwaaduo	Diabetes prevalence was perceived as a natural/supernatural phenomenon (family history of diabetes); overweight and natural fatness [obesity]; witchcraft and sorcery (bought for people) Psychosocial factors (lifestyle and behavioural) such as physical inactivity; unhealthy dietary practices; over-consumption of alcohol; unhealthy foods; overeating; smoking; eating late at night were also established as causes of type 2 diabetes mellitus Structural causes: Medical technologies used for family planning
Cook-Huynh et al.^Citation22	Adults aged 18 years + sample size of 326 adults	Two-tier random sampling	Adankwame Community	Increase in diabetes and hypertension prevalence Overall prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 0.077 (95% CI 0.05–0.11)
Danquah et al.^Citation23	1 466 individuals were recruited from diabetes and hypertension clinics, outpatients, community and hospital staff	Simple random	Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)	Type 2 diabetes affects predominantly obese patients of rather low socioeconomic status
Doherty et al.^Citation24	Three focus-group discussions among 30 persons and 10 individual interviews were used	Convenience sampling	Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)	High diabetes knowledge among diabetics High adherence to diabetes management precautions among diabetics
Frank et al.^Citation39	1 221 adults (679 controls and 542 cases with diabetes)	Simple random	Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi	A ‘purchase’ dietary pattern (characterised by high intakes of sweets, rice, meat, fruits and vegetables) and a ‘traditional’ dietary pattern (characterised by high intakes of fruits, plantain, green leafy vegetables, fish, fermented maize products and palm oil) are associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in this population
Gatimu et al.^Citation35	Adults 50 years and above	Multistage stratified cluster sampling	Ghana	Females were more susceptible to diabetes than males Physical inactivity was prevalent in urban females Obesity was a key risk factor
Minicuci et al.^Citation37	4 724 adults aged 50 and above	Stratified, multistage cluster sampling	Ghana	Diabetes was more prevalent in women than in men (4.4% and 3.2% respectively) Major risk factors: Physical inactivity, excessive smoking and low intake of fruits and vegetables Obesity (more prevalent among urban individuals and high-income urban dwellers)
Sarfo-Kantanka et al.^Citation21	A total of 1 292 individuals were sampled for the study	Convenience	Kumasi Metropolis	Diabetes was prevalent among both men and women but increased with age and weight The main risk factors for diabetes were overweight and obesity
Tarekegne et al.^Citation36	Study populations from WHO-SAGE wave 1(5 573 from Ghana and 4 227 from South Africa) aged 50+	Stratified random sampling	Ghana	Predisposing risk factor for diabetes was physical inactivity Risk of diabetes increased with age Respondents living in urban areas were more susceptible to diabetes than their rural counterparts Employed respondents were 45% less likely to report diabetes diagnosis and treatment, compared with those unemployed (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.37–0.81) People with higher level of education were more susceptible to diabetes than those with little or no formal education Rich people were more prone to diabetes than the relatively poor Obesity was identified as a key risk factor for diabetes
Titty et al.^Citation38	456 diabetic patients aged 40 years and above	Simple random	Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital	More Ghanaian females with diabetes than males Prevalence of diabetes increased with age among both males and females Obesity characterised by excess body fat was noted as the major risk factor for diabetes

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Cook-huynh M, Ansong D, Steckelberg RC, et al. Prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in adults from a rural community in Ghana. Ethn Dis. 2012;22(3):347–352.

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Danquah I, Bedu-addo G, Terpe K, et al. Diabetes mellitus type 2 in urban Ghana: characteristics and associated factors. BMC Public Health. 2012;12(1):210.

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