Question

2. (5 points) In 1998 a headline in USA Today read, "Prayer can lower blood pressure." The story stated that attending religious services lowers blood pressure more than turning into religious TV or radio." This article was based on an observational study which followed 2391 people aged 65 or over for 6 years. They found that people who attend a religious service once a week and prayed or studied the Bible once a day were 40% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who didn't go to church every week and prayed and studied the Bible less. (a) (1 point) What was the sample size for this observational study? (b) (I point) Describe the observational units in this study. (c) (2 points) Identify the explanatory and response variables in this study. (d) (1 point) Can you conclude that prayer actually causes lower blood pressure? Why or why not? 3. (4 points) Give examples of the following types of variables: (a) an ordinal categorical variable. (b) a categorical variable that is not ordinal

Answer 1

2.

(a) The sample size for the observational study was 2391 people..

(b) The observational units in this study are 'people aged 65 or more years'.

(c) The explanatory variable in this study is 'Prayer'.

The response variable in this study is 'Blood Pressure'.

(d) It can't be concluded (it's wrong to conclude) that prayer actually causes lower blood pressure. Because, by sample survey,it has been observed that the people who pray are 60% likely to have high blood pressure than those who don't pray ...