In: Nursing
In a hypothetical case-control study of 200 cases of heart disease and 260 unmatched controls, the following 2x2 table was determined for the association of sedentary lifestyle with heart disease:
Cases |
Controls |
|
Sedentary lifestyle |
140 |
70 |
Not sedentary lifestyle |
60 |
190 |
200 |
260 |
(a) Compute the odds ratio for sedentary lifestyle and heart disease.
(b) There is concern that sex may be a confounder in the relationship between sedentary lifestyle and heart disease. What three conditions must be true for sex to be a confounder in this study?
Females:
Cases |
Controls |
|
Sedentary lifestyle |
20 |
60 |
Not sedentary lifestyle |
20 |
180 |
40 |
240 |
Males:
Cases |
Controls |
|
Sedentary lifestyle |
120 |
10 |
Not sedentary lifestyle |
40 |
10 |
160 |
20 |
(c) Compute the odds ratio for sedentary lifestyle and heart disease for each of these tables separately.
(d) Does the relationship between sedentary lifestyle and heart disease appear to differ for females and males? (That is, is there an interaction between sex, sedentary lifestyle, and heart disease?) Why or why not?
(e) Does sex confound the relationship between sedentary lifestyle and heart disease seen in part (a) above? Why or why not?
(a)
Answer- odds in sedentary life style = 140/70
= 2
Odds in non sedentary life style = 60/170
= 0.3529
Final odd ratio = odds in sedentary lifestyle/ odds in non sedentary lifestyle
= 2/ 0.3529
= 5.667
(b) Answer - For sex to act as a confounder three following conditions could be true -
1. Low physical activity such as not doing exercise at all can
also lead to heart disease.
2. High alcohol consumption .
3. Smoker.
(C) Answer - Males
Odds in sedentary lifestyle = 120/10
= 12
Odds in non sedentary lifestyle = 40/10
= 4
Final odd ratio = 12/4
= 3
Females -
odds in sedentary lifestyle = 20/60
= 0.333
odds in non sedentary lifestyle = 20/180
= 0.111
Final odd ratio = 0.333/ 0.111
= 3
(d) No the relationship between sedentary lifestyle and heart disease not appear to differ for females and males as their final odd ratio comes to equal which means that either males or females living in sedentary lifestyle as equal outcome to heart diseases
(e) No sex confound the relationship between sedentary lifestyle and heart disease cannot be seen in part (a) above. As in table of part (a) no separate information about Male and female is given we cannot confound sex.