Question

A study was done to assess malnutrition among young children. 100 children were selected each from rural and urban areas. Out of these, 30 among rural and 20 among urban were found to be malnourished. which of the following statistical test is used to compare the data sets?

• A. Paired t-test
• B. Chi-square
• C. The standard error of mean
• D. ANOVA

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The study involves comparing two categorical data sets: the number of malnourished children in rural and urban areas. To determine if there's a significant difference in the observed frequencies of malnourishment between these two groups, we use the Chi-square test. Here's why:

• Paired t-test: It's used for comparing means from the same group at different times or under two different conditions. Since our data is categorical, this test is not suitable.
• Chi-square: This is ideal for testing relationships between categorical variables. It examines if the distribution of observed frequencies differs from expected frequencies. Our dataset involves categorical data (malnourished vs. non-malnourished), making the Chi-square test appropriate.
• The standard error of mean: It's used to estimate the variability of a sample mean, not for comparing two categorical data sets.
• ANOVA: Used to compare means among three or more groups. It's not applicable for categorical data comparison.

Given the data and the need to compare two categorical groups (rural vs. urban with malnutrition status), the Chi-square test is the statistical test that should be used here.