This Short Paper Assignment Will Help You Understand How Con

This Short Paper Assignment Will Help You Understand How Confidence In

This short paper assignment will help you understand how confidence intervals provide us with information on how well a sample represents a population and helps us to answer specific types of research questions. A study was done looking at communication between adolescents with asthma and their health care provider. Forty-six providers from four pediatric practices in North Carolina agreed to participate in the study. Two clinics were in rural areas and two were in suburban areas of North Carolina. Adolescent patients who agreed to participate were randomized, along with their caregiver, into either the intervention group or the usual care group.

The intervention group watched a video on an iPad and then completed an asthma question prompt list before their visits. All visits were audiotape recorded. A secondary analysis of transcripts from these medical visits of adolescents, ages 11-17 years, discovered that 44% (81 out of 185) of the adolescents and/or their providers from the intervention group discussed tobacco smoking in a visit versus 32% (56 out of 174) in the control group. From these results we can compute 3 different 95% confidence intervals using the sample proportions (p) from this study. For estimate, pi = 0.44, 95% CI: (0.37, 0.51). For estimate, pc = 0.32, 95% CI: (0.25, 0.39). For estimate, pi – pc = 0.12, 95% CI: (0.02, 0.22).

Paper For Above instruction

The population in this study comprises all adolescents aged 11 to 17 years with asthma along with their healthcare providers in North Carolina, specifically within similar pediatric practices, encompassing both rural and suburban clinics. The sample was selected from these clinics, with adolescents and their caregivers randomized into intervention and control groups to assess communication outcomes during medical visits. This population focus aims to understand asthma-related communication behaviors across diverse geographic areas within North Carolina, which can be generalized to similar settings within the state.

The research question addressed by the confidence interval in (a)—which estimates the proportion of adolescents and/or their providers in the intervention group who discussed tobacco smoking—is: "What is the true proportion of adolescents in this population who will discuss tobacco smoking with their provider following the intervention?" The confidence interval (0.37 to 0.51) estimates the range within which the actual population proportion likely falls with 95% confidence.

The population parameter being estimated by this confidence interval (a) is the true proportion of adolescents in the population who discuss tobacco smoking with their healthcare provider after the intervention phase. It reflects the overall likelihood, across the entire population, that such a discussion occurs during medical visits for adolescents receiving the intervention.

The margin of error (ME) for the confidence interval in (a) can be calculated as half the width of the interval: (0.51 - 0.37) / 2 = 0.07. This means we are 95% confident that the true proportion of all adolescents in the population who discuss tobacco smoking with their provider falls within this range, considering the sample data.

Interpreting the CI from (a), we understand that there is statistical evidence suggesting that somewhere between approximately 37% and 51% of adolescents in similar North Carolina pediatric settings discussed tobacco smoking during their visits after receiving the intervention. This interval provides a plausible range for the true population proportion, emphasizing that the intervention likely increased the likelihood of discussions about tobacco smoking compared to the control condition.

The research question answered by the confidence interval in (c)—which examines the difference in proportions between the intervention and control groups—is: "What is the true difference in proportions of adolescents discussing tobacco smoking between those who received the intervention and those who received usual care?" The 95% confidence interval (0.02 to 0.22) suggests that the true difference in the population lies within this range, with the intervention increasing discussions by somewhere between 2% and 22%.

The population parameter estimated by this confidence interval (c) is the true difference in the proportion of adolescents discussing tobacco smoking between the intervention and control populations. It indicates the potential effect size attributable to the intervention across similar populations, reflecting its possible impact on communication about tobacco use.

The margin of error here is the maximum amount the estimated difference might differ from the true difference, which is (0.22 - 0.02) / 2 = 0.10. This indicates with 95% confidence that the true difference in proportions in the population is between 2% and 22%, based on the sample data.

Interpreting the confidence interval in (c), we deduce that the intervention probably leads to a small to moderate increase in discussions about tobacco smoking during adolescents’ health visits. The lower bound near 2% suggests a minimal effect, while the upper bound near 22% indicates a potentially meaningful impact, reinforcing the utility of the intervention in enhancing communication about smoking.

References

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