Essential BioStats 1

Section 2 Topic 1

Writing the report for comparative boxplots (describing relationship between

categorical and metric variables)
For example: is life expectancy related to gender?
• Life expectancy → metric
• Gender → categorical

Shape:

• Females: positively skewed
• Males: approx. symmetrical
Centre:
• Outliers → median
• The median life expectancy for females is 78.5 years, which is more than the median
life expectancy for males of 75.6 years.
Spread:
• Median → IQR (width of the box)
• Life Expectancies are less variable for females (IQR =7.1 ), than for males (IQR = 7.4).
• Max for Females Japan 86.3, Max for Males Hong Kong 80.1
Outliers:
• Afghanistan is clearly an outlier, with an unusually low life expectancy of 60.2 years
for females and 57.8 for males.
How to report:
In a study comparing the average life expectancies at birth of males and females born in 2010,
in a sample of 15 countries, it was found that females generally were expected to live longer
than males. → overview
In 50% of the countries average life expectancy for females is 78.5 years or more, compared
to a figure of 75.6 or more years for males. → centre
The highest average life expectancy for females is 86.3 years (Japan) and for males 80.1 years
(Hong Kong). However, Afghanistan expected unusually low average life expectancies for
both males (57.8 years) and females (60.2 years). → spread & outlier
The variability in average life expectancy is less for females (IQR = 7.1 years) than for males
(IQR = 7.4 years). → compare the spread
The distribution of life expectancies is approximately symmetric for males and positively
skewed for females. → shape

Another example:

In a study comparing the average life expectancies at birth of males and females born in 1970,
in a sample of 15 countries, it was found that females generally were expected to live longer
than males. In 50% of the countries average life expectancy for females is 69.8 years or more,
compared to a figure of 66.8 or more years for males. The highest average life expectancy for
females is 76.3years (Canada) and for males 69.4years (Japan). However, Afghanistan
expected unusually low average life expectancies for both males (36.0 years) and females
(37.5 years). The variability in average life expectancy is more for females (IQR = 14.2 years)
than for males (IQR = 11.2 years). The distribution of life expectancies is approximately
negatively skewed for both males and females.

Paired and independent groups

1. Paired group
Participants in 2 groups can be considered to be paired if:
− Participants in both groups are the same (i.e. measuring anxiety before an
intervention and then 6 months after intervention)
− Participants in one group are matched with data in the second group by
one/more attributes (i.e. life expectancies of males and females which are
matched by the country)
2. Independent group
Considered to be independent as there is no common link

Example of how to make a report:

A study was conducted of 30 subjects symptomatic with disc herniation selected for a
discectomy and 46 asymptomatic individuals (control group) to determine if there are
differences in the spinal cross sectional area (cm2) between vertebrae L5/S1. Overall the
spinal area is larger for the control group (𝑥̅ = 3.44cm2) compared to the herniated disc group
(𝑥̅ = 2.60cm2 ). The variability of spinal area is also more variable for the control group (𝑠 =
.93cm2) than the herniated disc group (𝑠 = .70cm2). The distribution of the spinal area is
approximately symmetrical for both the herniated disc and the control groups. Approximately
25% of the spinal areas of the control group were larger than the maximum spinal area for
the herniated disc group (max = 3.91cm2 ).

Examples of scenario: (red=the two groups being compared; blue=metric variable)

1. Nine men were randomly selected to take a capsule containing pure caffeine one
hour before the test. Another group of nine men were randomly selected to receive a
placebo capsule. During each exercise, the subject's respiratory exchange ratio (RER)
was measured. (RER is the ratio of CO2 produced to O2 consumed and is an indicator
of whether energy is being obtained from carbohydrates or fats). The question of
interest to the experimenter was whether, on average, caffeine changes RER. →
independent
2. A researcher wishes to compare students’ performance on Math and English exams.
He takes a random sample of 30 students and records their Math and English exam
scores. → paired
3. A researcher takes a random sample of 25 married couples and asks both the husband
and wife how many hours they spend watching television during a 7-day week. The
researcher wishes to compare the number of hours spent watching TV of husbands
and wives. → paired
4. A credit card company randomly selects 30 of its clients and records their outstanding
balance from the previous month and the gender of the client. They would like to
determine if there is a relationship between amount owing on the credit card and the
gender of the client. → independent

Comparing more than 2 groups

Karna ga dijelasin Imma, ga dimasukin sini ya. Kalo mau belajar cara reportnya bisa buka
halaman 173.