Rural-to-urban health disparities in the state are growing.

A new study finds, some Georgians now are living as much as a decade shorter than others, depending on where they live.

Men live, on average, 77 years in Metro Atlanta's Fayette County.

But they live, on average, 67 years in Southwest Georgia's Calhoun County.

Women fare a few years better.

The study shows, in 20 years, the gap between the two parts of the state grew by a year for men and three years for women.

Jacqueline Grant of the Southwest Georgia Health District says, one cause is persistent poverty.

"When you have people who can barely afford their next meal, they're not as concerned about gettnig the best selection of foods on their plates."

The report says that health disparities are growing the most among women, in part, because they are catching up to men in risky health behaviors, such as smoking and poor eating.

The University of Washington's Dr. Ali Mokdad says, the study's goal was to compare counties, states and countries.

"How come somebody living in a county in Georgia has a chance of living less than somebody living in Iran, for example?" Mokdad asks. "This is new. This is shocking. This is a wake up call for all of us."

The full report and an Excell spreadheet of the data is available at this website.

Tags: health care, Southwest Georgia Health District, GPB News, rural areas, Calhoun County, Fayette County, Jacqueline Grant, Ali Mokdad, University of Washington