In: Statistics and Probability
Pre-term birth is a common cause of neonatal mortality, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. A large randomized study was conducted across six countries with high rates of pre-term birth to investigate the effectiveness of taking daily low-dose aspirin for reducing the risk of giving birth before 37 weeks. The 5,780 women randomized to the treatment group received a daily 81 milligram aspirin tablet at the start of the third trimester, while the 5,764 women randomized to the control group took a placebo. Pre-term birth before 37 weeks occurred in 668 of the women who took aspirin and 754 of those who took placebo.
i. Compute and interpret an appropriate summary statistic comparing the difference in outcomes between the two groups. Be sure to clearly show your work.
ii. Using language accessible to a general audience without a statistics background, explain whether this study design has the potential to demonstrate that taking daily low dose aspirin leads to a reduced risk of pre-term birth. Limit your answer to at most seven sentences.
First we find out the proportions and the test statistic using the formula mentioned. Then the p value is obtained from STATKEY(image attached for reference). We compare the p value with alpha and make the required conclusion,