In: Statistics and Probability
A study of zinc-deficient mothers was conducted to determine whether zinc supplementation during pregnancy results in babies with increased weights at birth. A random sample of 294 mothers given the zinc supplement resulted in a mean birth weight of 3214 grams with a standard deviation of 669 grams. A placebo group of 286 mothers resulted in a mean birth weight of 3088 grams with a standard deviation of 728 grams. Using a 0.05 significance level, is there sufficient evidence to support the claim that zinc supplementation does result in increased birth weights? Population variances are equal.