Fun info:
Obesity is more correlated in terms of geographical location than race. A disproportional amount of African Americans live in the south USA because of the slave trade. "Of all the people who reported as Black in Census 2000, 54 percent lived in the South, 19 percent lived in the Midwest, 18 percent lived in the Northeast and 10 percent lived in the West." (2001 US census
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/census_2000/cb01cn176.html)
This study talks about African Americans and their dietary patterns:
"Obesity and dietary patterns
Obesity continues to be a problem throughout the United States, and disproportionately affects rural residents (40%), African-Americans living in the Southeast (Alabama, 42%; Mississippi, 43%), and African-American women (60%) [1–3]. Four out of five African- American women are either overweight or obese [4]. African-American women are even more obese (57%) than African-American men (38%), and African-American women in the South are more vulnerable to obesity than other ethnic groups in other parts of the country [5]. Obesity contributes to a myriad of chronic diseases, including certain cancers (eg, endometrial, breast, colon) [6]. Death rates for obesity-related cancers are higher for African-Americans than for Whites [7]. Since diet is linked to obesity, it is important to identify potential dietary factors that may predispose vulnerable populations like African- American women in the rural South to obesity and its related chronic conditions.
The typical Southern-style diet among African-Americans in the rural Southeastern region of the United States increases obesity and chronic disease risks, being characterized by a high intake of fried and salty foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats [21, 22]. Red and processed meats in particular increase both obesity and cancer risks [23–25], and a diet high in added sugars and sodium can increase risk for obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases [26–29]."