The majority of African Americans are descendants of slaves who were transported from Africa to the US and the Caribbean during the 17th through the 19th centuries. However, an increasing proportion of this population is comprised of either new immigrants or their first or second generation descendants. They also have higher incidence rates for cancers of the prostate, lung, and oral cavity than those for other groups. The leading cancer sites for African-American women include breast, colon and rectum, lung, corpus uteri, and cervix uteri. Rates for cancers of the lung, and colon and rectum are higher among African-American women than among women of any racial or ethnic group other than Alaska Natives.
Obesity is a major health problem for African-American men and women.
African-American women are more likely to be overweight than women of other races or ethnicities. High smoking rates and low participation in breast screening exams are also major contributing factors to health problems among African Americans. This group is very diverse, including individuals from at least 24 ethnic populations who speak more than 30 major languages or dialects. Due to immigration and high birthrates, the Asian and Pacific Islander population is growing rapidly. Cancer incidence rates vary considerably among subgroups of the Asian and Pacific Islander population.