Teaf Kalif

Student Number: 20132014

Master of Sciences in Biostatistics

Assignment 2 BIS503: Calculate the sample size to determine the

prevalence of malaria on the population of ages less than 5 years old in
the city of Yaoundé.

Introduction

Malaria is one of the public health threats on the continent of Africa. However, investigating all
patients suffering from the disease is cost effective and hard to implement. A way to get that
number is by taking a sample that best expresses the characteristics of the whole population in the
city. The formula to estimate the sample size depends on the type of study design. So we are going to
present formulae used into each study design and then determine which one apply to our problem.

1 – Cross sectional studies or surveys

A cross sectional study is used to find a population parameter like the prevalence of a disease in a
community. In this case, the sample sizes of qualitative and quantitative variables are different.

p ( 1− p )∗z 2
- For qualitative variable n is, n=
d2
z 2 ¿ SD 2
- For quantitative variable, use the formula n=
d2
N z 2 pq
- When the population (N) is known, then n= 2
ⅆ [ N−1 ] + z 2 pq

With

z = standard normal error

p = Expected proportion in the population

d = the standard error

SD = Standard deviation of Variable

 n = the sample size

2- Sample size calculation for case control studies

In this study case, the groups with disease are compared to the groups without diseases in regards to
the risk factor in under control.

The formula used to calculate the sample size also differs from the type variables either qualitative or
quantitative.
¿ ¿ 2
r +1 P (1−P ) ( Z β + Z α/ 2 )
For qualitative variable: n =
r ( P 1−P2 )
2

P¿= Average proportion exposed

Z β = Standard normal variant for power; which is equal to 0.84 for a power of 80% and 1.28 for a
power of 90%.

Z α /2 =Standard normal variant for the level for significance

P1−P2 = The difference between the size of cases and the size of control

r = The ratio for control cases. If number of cases and number of control are equal then r=1

For instance, if a researcher wants to spot the relation between smoking and cancer patients, using
this case control studies, he will have to
2 2
r +1 ( SD ) ( Z β + Z α /2 )
For quantitative variable, n =
r ( d )2

With

SD = the standard deviation

d = the expected mean difference between case and control

Z β = Standard normal variant for power; which is equal to 0.84 for a power of 80% and 1.28 for a
power of 90%

Z α /2 =Standard normal variance for the level for significance

3- Calculate the sample size

The population of Cameroon is about 25 Million and the population of Yaoundé (Cameroon’s Political
city) with its population of about 5,178,045 people where 3 878 676 live in Urban area and 1299369
in city area in October 2019 here.

From this population, let us consider that 50% are children less than 5 years old; that should be
2589022 children. From these children, if a researcher supposes that P = 50% of them are malaria
sick, with confidence value of 95% and a standard error of 5%, we will have:

N z 2 p(1−p) 2589022∗1.962∗0.5 (1−0.5) 2589022∗0.9604

n= = = ≈
2 2
ⅆ [ N−1 ] + z p(1−p) 2 2
0.05 [ 2589022−1 ] +1.96 0.5(1−0.5) 0.052∗2589021+0.9604
385

4- Conclusion
If 50% of the 2589022 children living in Yaoundé, and if you were to repeat the survey of 385 children
many time, then 95% of the time the surveyor would find that between 45% and 55% of people in the
sample are sick.

References

- http://www.dental.usm.my/aos/docs/Vol_1/09_14_ayub.pdf
- http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html