Master's Degree in Health Services Management

Master of Medicine
Course: Applied Statistics
Module II: Notions of Sampling and Statistical Inference
Section: Materials

Task No. 2

1. At the beginning of the school year, the nurse delegate of the "Jesús María" medical center is
interested in conducting a study on the nutritional status of 5-year-old children from 10
educational institutions. The school population consists of 900 children aged 5 years old. The
delegate is particularly interested in knowing the proportion of 5-year-old children who are
malnourished and the average height. For this purpose, it conducts a pilot study and obtains that
:

 35% are malnourished; and

 It has also been determined with respect to height:
_
x = 120 cm
s = 20 cm
Requested:
a. Calculate the sample size to estimate the proportion of 5-year-old children who are
malnourished, considering a confidence level of 95% and an absolute error of E=0.05. Also
with the size determined, select a systematic sample of the first 10 units.
Population (N): 900
Confidence level (Z): 95 % = 1.96
Absolute error (E): 0.05
Proportion (p): 35%= 0.35
q= 1-p: 0.65

n = N* Z2* p * q
(N -1)* E2 + Z2 * p * q

n = 900* (1.96)2 *0.35*0.65

(900 -1)* (0.05)2 + (1.96)2 * 0.35*0.65

n = 786.5676
251.98

n = 251.98 = 252

b. Calculate a sample size to estimate the average height of 5-year-old children, considering a
confidence level of 95% and a relative error of 8%.
Relative error: 8%. Confidence level ( Z ): 95% = 1.96

ER= E * 100
120
8 = E * 100
120
E = 9.6

APPLIED STATISTICS
 n = N* Z2* S2
E2
* (N -1) + Z2 * S2

n = 900* (1.96)2 * (20) 2

(9.6)2 * (900 -1) + (1.96)2 * (20) 2
n = 1382976 =
84388.48 16.38
2. A physician specializing in epidemiology is interested in knowing the proportion of schoolchildren
who have parasites in the "Guadalupe" school, which is made up of 3000 students. This study is
to be carried out by means of a sample. We are asked to calculate the sample size considering:
confidence level of 95%, absolute error of 5% and according to a preliminary study it was
determined that the proportion of schoolchildren with parasites is 0.35
Population (N) : 3000
Confidence level (Z) : 95% = 1.96
Absolute error (E): 5% = 0.05
Ratio (p): 35%= 0.35
q= 1-p: 0.65

n = N* Z2* p * q
(N -1)* E2 + Z2 * p * q

n = 3000* (1.96)2 *0.35*0.65

(3000 -1)* (0.05)2 + (1.96)2 * 0.35*0.65

n = 2621.892 = 313.2
8.371464

3. A survey of a random sample of 150 families in a certain urban community revealed that, in 87
percent of the cases, at least one of the family members had some form of health-related
insurance. Construct 99 percent confidence intervals for P, the actual proportion of families in the
community with the characteristics of interest.
n = 150
p = 87% = 0.87
q = 1 - p = 1 - 0.87 = 0.13
Z = 99 % = 2.58

P ± Z α/2 √ p * q / n
0.87 ± 2.58 √ 0.87 * 0.13 / 150
0.87 ± 2.58 √ 0.000754
0.87 ± 0.070 0.87 + 0.070 = 0.94
0.87 – 0.070 = 0.8

Answer: The range is from 0.8 to 0.94 or from 80% to 94%.

Conclusion: There is a 99% confidence that this interval contains the value of the
population proportion, i.e., there is a 99% confidence that the proportion of the actual
population of families in the communities that have health-related insurance is between
80 and 94%.

4. A sample of 100 apparently healthy adult men, aged 25 years, shows a mean systolic blood
pressure of 125. If the population standard deviation is assumed to be 15, calculate the 90
percent confidence interval for µ.

APPLIED STATISTICS
 n = 100
 = 125
σ = 15
1 – α = 90 %
Z = 1.64

 ±z*σ
√n

125 ± 1.64 * (15 / √100)

125 ± 1.64 * (15 / 10)
125 ± 1.64 * (1.5)
125 ± 2.46 125 + 2.46 = 127.46
125 – 2.46 = 122.54

Result: 122.54 ≤ µ ≤ 127.46

Interpretation: Approximately 90% of the similarly constructed intervals will include the
population mean of healthy adult men with systolic pressure, the limits are 122.4 and 127.46.

5. In a given region, a random sample of 125 individuals was taken, 12 of whom had lung disease.
a. Stimulate the proportion of pulmonary conditions in this region.
b. If we want to estimate this proportion with a maximum error of 4%, for a confidence of 95%,
what sample size should we take?

APPLIED STATISTICS