Analysis of the Association Between BMI and Total Cholesterol

Nov 20, 2024, 12:43 AM

The data are available in the file “cholesterol.sav”. These data contain 4 variables: total

cholesterol level, body mass index (BMI), Treatment Condition, and Age. We are interested in
studying the factors that might decrease overall levels of cholesterol. There are three
experimental conditions: a Control Group, Treatment A group, and Treatment B group. In the
data, they are coded numerically, such that 0 = control, 1 = treatment A, 2 = treatment B.
Conduct a test to determine if there is any association between BMI and total
cholesterol. What test did you use and why? If a significant association is detected, how
is this finding interpreted?
The dataset has been successfully loaded and contains the following columns:
  • Cholesterol: Total cholesterol level
  • Age: Age of the individual
  • BMI: Body Mass Index
  • Condition: Treatment condition (0 = Control, 1 = Treatment A, 2 = Treatment B)
To determine if there is an association between BMI and total cholesterol, we can use the Pearson correlation coefficient. This test is appropriate because both BMI and cholesterol are continuous variables, and Pearson's correlation measures the linear relationship between two continuous variables.
Let's proceed with calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient between BMI and total cholesterol.
The Pearson correlation coefficient between BMI and total cholesterol is approximately 0.175 with a p-value of 0.098.

Interpretation:

  • Correlation Coefficient (r = 0.175): This indicates a weak positive correlation between BMI and total cholesterol. This means that as BMI increases, total cholesterol tends to increase slightly, but the relationship is not strong.
  • P-value (p = 0.098): Since the p-value is greater than the common significance level of 0.05, we do not have enough evidence to conclude that there is a statistically significant association between BMI and total cholesterol.
In conclusion, there is a weak positive correlation between BMI and total cholesterol, but it is not statistically significant at the 0.05 level.
Would you like to explore any other aspects of the data or perform additional analyses?

Can you analyze the effect of treatment conditions on cholesterol levels?

The ANOVA results for the effect of treatment conditions on cholesterol levels are as follows:
  • Sum of Squares for Condition: 14633.34
  • Degrees of Freedom for Condition: 2
  • F-statistic: 32.23
  • p-value: 3.36e-11

Interpretation:

  • F-statistic (F = 32.23): This value indicates the ratio of the variance explained by the treatment conditions to the unexplained variance. A higher F-statistic suggests a significant effect of the treatment conditions on cholesterol levels.
  • p-value (p < 0.001): The p-value is extremely low, indicating that there is a statistically significant effect of treatment conditions on cholesterol levels.
Since the p-value is much less than 0.05, we reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there is a significant difference in cholesterol levels among the different treatment conditions.
Would you like to perform any further analysis or visualize these results?

What is the average cholesterol level for each treatment group?

The average cholesterol levels for each treatment group are as follows:
  • Control Group (0): 222.03
  • Treatment A Group (1): 196.93
  • Treatment B Group (2): 193.38

Interpretation:

  • The Control Group has the highest average cholesterol level.
  • Both Treatment A and Treatment B groups have lower average cholesterol levels compared to the Control Group, with Treatment B having the lowest.
These results suggest that both treatments are associated with a reduction in cholesterol levels compared to the control, with Treatment B being slightly more effective.
Would you like to explore any other aspects of the data or perform additional analyses?

What is the distribution of BMI in each treatment group?

Can you compare the cholesterol levels between Treatment A and Treatment B?

The t-test results for comparing cholesterol levels between Treatment A and Treatment B are as follows:
  • t-statistic: 0.893
  • p-value: 0.375

Interpretation:

  • t-statistic (t = 0.893): This value indicates the difference in means between the two treatment groups relative to the variability in the data.
  • p-value (p = 0.375): Since the p-value is greater than the common significance level of 0.05, we do not have enough evidence to conclude that there is a statistically significant difference in cholesterol levels between Treatment A and Treatment B.
In conclusion, there is no significant difference in cholesterol levels between the two treatment groups.
Would you like to explore any other aspects of the data or perform additional analyses?
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