Statistics

1) Determine whether the evaluated group is a population or a sample

a) Based on a randomly selected group of 500 patients with high cholesterol, it was found that 67% have heart disease. Is this a population or a sample; explain your answer.

b) An investigation of 150 randomly selected local restaurants concluded that 42% of local restaurants have serious health code violations. Is this a population or a sample; explain your answer.

2) Determine whether the given value is a statistic or a parameter.

a) A researcher determines that 42.7% of all downtown office buildings have ventilation problems. Is this a statistic or a parameter; explain your answer.

b) After taking the first exam, 15 of the students dropped the class. Is this a statistic or a parameter; explain your answer.

3) Identify the type of sampling used.

a) A tax auditor selects every 1000th income tax return that is received. What type of sample is this and why?

b) The name of each contestant is written on a separate card, and the cards are placed in a bag with three names being picked from the bag. What type of sample is this and why?

4) Is the study experimental or observation and why?

a) A political pollster reports that his candidate has a 10% lead in the polls with 10% undecided.

5) Select the study that is most appropriate and EXPLAIN WHY it is most appropriate for the study.

a) Is the aspirin produced by a particular pharmaceutical company better than that of a competitor at relieving headaches? Which of the following would best be used to study this: 1) a case-controlled observation; 2) an observation; 3) a double-blind experimental procedure; and 4) and experimental procedure.

From Chapter One

1) Focus on Public Health—On page 51 and 52 of the text, it discusses the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, which is a very well-known study that has been conducted for a number of years. Answer discussion question two at the back of the article.