Question

1. Consider the data shown in the following table.
   1. Identify any modifications that would result in a more effective table.
   2. Comment the characteristics of participants.

Baseline Characteristics of Participants in Randomized Trial

Characteristic	Treatment Group (n = 361)	Placebo Group (n = 344)
Age, years	45.8	47.6
Male sex	201	198
Systolic blood pressure	128.25 ± 14.2	121.7 ± 13.91
Race/ethnicity
Asian	184	180
White	107	100
Hispanic	70	64

Answer 1

Solution

Part (a)

Since sample sizes are different, it is advisable to represent categorical variables in terms of proportions (percentages) to afford a more meaningful comparison. The following table shows this modifications:

Characteristic	Treatment Group	Placebo Group
	(n = 361)	(n = 344)
Age, years	45.8	47.6
Male sex (%)	55.68	57.56
Systolic blood pressure	128.25 ± 14.2	121.7 ± 13.91
Race/ethnicity (%)
Asian	50.97	52.33
White	29.64	29.07
Hispanic	19.39	18.60

Answer

Part (b)

With the above modifications, it is clear that the representation of all the categorical variables have been fairly uniform between the two groups under study.

On the response variable, Systolic blood pressure, the Treatment Group has a higher mean value than the Control Group. However, in terms of variability the two groups do not differ.

Since the response variable is known to be age-related, the observed difference might be more pronounced if the age variable is also factored into the analysis.

Answer