OBJECTIVES- To explore the increasing prevalence of type II diabetes mellitus in the sub-Saharan region of Africa.- To identify risk factors for the onset of the disease in the early stages of life. OBJECTIVES - Evaluation of the extent of the problem posed by type II diabetes. - Estimation of the prevalence of type II diabetes among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. - Identification of possible risk factors. - Evidence-based conclusions and recommendations for practice or further research. INTRODUCTIONDiabetes mellitus is a fatal disease in many parts of the world. It is a pathological condition that is usually characterized by a high level of glucose in the blood. Over the years, researchers have worked to determine the metabolic pathways of the disease. It is mainly classified as type I (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) and type II (non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) diabetes mellitus. Type II diabetes accounts for approximately 90% of all types of diabetes (Pal et al, 2013). Type 2 diabetes is usually considered a disease of the elderly; because it usually occurs in individuals over the age of 40. However, research has shown an increasing prevalence among young people around the world. Consequently, it is important to evaluate the number of young people in sub-Saharan Africa living with type II diabetes. In addition to this, several factors predispose these individuals to developing type II diabetes early in life. Type II diabetes has numerous significant effects that can affect an individual's quality of life and could subsequently affect a nation's economy. PRELIMINARY LITERATURE REVIEW The prevalence of type II diabetes is increasing and was estimated globally to be 285 million by 2010. Type II diabetes is managed by prescription medications... half of paper... ffe Medical Press , 2004. Greenhalgh, T. and Donald, A. Evidence-Based Health Workbook: Understanding the Research. London; BMJ Publishing, 2000. Vickers Andrews (1995). Ensure scientific rigor in the literature review. Acupuncture in medicine Vol 13 No. 2. Page 93-96. http://aim.bmj.com/content/13/2/93Vom Brocke, J., Simons, A., Niehaves, B., Riemer, K., Plattfaut, R., & Cleven, A. (2009) . Rebuilding the giant: On the importance of rigor in documenting the literature search process. In Newell, S., Whitley, E., Pouloudi, N., Wareham, J., & Mathiassen, L. (eds.), Proceedings of the ECIS 2009, pp.2206–2217. Bartolucci A. Alfred, Hillegass B. William (2010) Overview, strengths and limitations of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Evidence-based practice: towards optimizing clinical outcomes, 17 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-05025-1_2, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg