Sept. 13, 2006 -- The U.S. is really divided into eight different Americas when it comes to life expectancy, researchers report.

Those "eight Americas" have a life expectancy gap of almost 14 years, similar to gaps between economically developed and emerging countries, note the researchers.

They included Christopher Murray, MD, DPhil, and Majid Ezzati, PhD, of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

"I think that these disparities are large and they are being caused by disease and injuries that we know really well how to control," Ezzati tells WebMD.

"We know how to reduce tobacco ... blood pressure, cholesterol, alcohol," he continues. "So clearly, these interventions are not reaching people who need them the most."

The study appears in Public Library of Science Medicine. The researchers also tallied state-by-state life expectancy, noted later in this story.