IDENTIFYING AND INTERPRETING STATISTICS IN RESEARCH ARTICLES

STAT6000_Assessment Brief 2 Page 1 of 3 ASSESSMENT BRIEF Subject Code and Title STAT6000: Statistics for Public Health Assessment Assessment 2: Assignment – Identifying and Interpreting Statistics in Research Articles Individual/Group Individual Length 2000 Learning Outcomes This assessment addresses the following learning outcomes: 1. Understand key concepts in statistics and the way in which both descriptive and inferential statistics are used to measure, describe and predict health and illness and the effects of interventions. 5. Apply key terms and concepts of statistics, including; sampling, hypothesis testing, validity and reliability, statistical significance and effect size. 6. Interpret the results of commonly used statistical tests presented in published literature. Submission Due Sunday following the end of Module 4 at 11:55pm AEST/AEDT* Weighting 30% Total Marks 100 marks *Please Note: This time is Sydney time (AEST or AEDT). Please convert to your own time zone (eg. Adelaide = 11:25pm). STAT6000_Assessment Brief 2 Page 2 of 3 Instructions: This assessment requires you to read two articles and answer a series of questions in no more than 2000 words. Most public health and wider health science journals report some form of statistics. The ability to understand and extract meaning from journal articles, and the ability to critically evaluate the statistics reported in research papers are fundamental skills in public health. Paper 1: Lam, T., Liang, W., Chikritzhs, T., & Allsop, S. (2014). Alcohol and other drug use at school leavers' celebrations. Journal of Public Health, 36(3), 408-416. Retrieved from: http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/08/26/pubmed.fdt087.full.pdf+html Read the Lam et. al. (2014) research article and answer the following questions: 1. This paper presents two hypotheses. State the null and alternative hypothesis for each one, and describe the independent and dependent variables for each hypothesis. 2. What kind of sampling method did they use, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of recruiting participants in this way? 3. What are the demographic characteristics of the people in the sample? Explain by referring to the descriptive statistics reported in the paper. 4. What inferential statistics were used to analyse data in this study, and why? 5. What is the odds ratio for engaging in unprotected sex (compared with those who engaged in safety strategies with the greatest frequency)? Interpret this by explaining what the odds ratio is telling us, including any variables that were controlled for in the model. 6. How representative do you think the sample is of the national population of schoolies? Explain why. Paper 2: Wong, M. C., S., Leung, M. C., M., Tsang, C. S., H., . . . Griffiths, S. M. (2013). The rising tide of diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population: A population-based household survey on 121,895 persons. International Journal of Public Health, 58(2), 269-276. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/10.1007/s00038-012-0364-y Read the Wong et. al. (2014) paper and answer the following questions: 1. Describe the aims of the study. Can either aim be restated in terms of null and alternative hypotheses? Describe these where possible. 2. What are the demographic characteristics of the people in the sample? Explain by referring to the descriptive statistics reported in the paper. 3. What inferential statistics were used to analyse data in this paper, and why? 4. What did the researchers find when they adjusted the prevalence rates of diabetes for age and sex? 5. Interpret the odds ratios for self-reported diabetes diagnosis to explain who is at the greatest risk of diabetes. 6. What impact do the limitations described by the researchers have on the extent to which the results can be trusted, and why? http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/08/26/pubmed.fdt087.full.pdf+html http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/10.1007/s00038-012-0364-y STAT6000_Assessment Brief 2 Page 3 of 3 Resources for Assessment 2 • Lam, T., Liang, W., Chikritzhs, T., & Allsop, S. (2014). Alcohol and other drug use at school leavers' celebrations. Journal of Public Health, 36(3), 408-416. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdt087. Retrieved from: http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/08/26/pubmed.fdt087.full.pdf+html • On Biostatistics and Clinical Trials (2012). Retrieved from: http://onbiostatistics.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/how-to-interpret-odds-ratios-that-are.html • Wong, M. C., S., Leung, M. C., M., Tsang, C. S., H., . . . Griffiths, S. M. (2013). The rising tide of diabetes mellitus in a chinese population: A population-based household survey on 121,895 persons. International Journal of Public Health, 58(2), 269-276. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/10.1007/s00038-012-0364-y Assessment Criteria Knowledge of sampling methods, and research and statistical concepts 20% Interpretation of research concepts, statistical concepts and reported results, demonstrating applied knowledge and understanding 40 % Critical analysis of research elements including sampling, results and limitations 30% Academic writing (clarity of expression, correct grammar and punctuation, correct word use) and accurate use of APA referencing style 10% http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/08/26/pubmed.fdt087.full.pdf+html http://onbiostatistics.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/how-to-interpret-odds-ratios-that-are.html http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/10.1007/s00038-012-0364-y untitled Alcohol and other drug use at school leavers’ celebrations Tina Lam, Wenbin Liang, Tanya Chikritzhs, Steve Allsop National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia Address correspondence to Tina Lam, E-mail: tina.lam@curtin.edu.au ABSTRACT Background A significant proportion of adolescents who attend celebratory events often engage in substantial alcohol and other drug use. We examined patterns, influences and impacts of drug consumption at an end of schooling life celebration. Methods Seventeen- to 18-year-old Australians who intended to attend (n ¼ 541) and who attended the celebration (n ¼ 405), respectively, completed pre- and post-event surveys. Results Males consumed 18.44 and females 13.24 Australian standard drinks on an average day during the school leavers’ event. Compared with their last social event, there was greater alcohol (P , 0.0005) and ecstasy use (P , 0.046 for Day 1 and P , 0.008 on Day 3). However, the number of drinks consumed per hour appeared to be similar across contexts. Most (87%) experienced at least one negative outcome attributed to alcohol and other drug use. Safety strategies were frequently used and appeared to be protective against some of the most common harms (hangover, vomiting, black out and unprotected sex). Conclusions The use of alcohol and other drugs at this celebratory event appears to be reflective of the greater than usual number of drinking hours that are available to participants. The use of safety strategies can be successful in mitigating some of the most common drug-related harms. Keywords alcohol consumption, celebration, health promotion, large event, leavers, protective behavioral strategies, risky single occasion drinking, schoolies, young people Introduction Adolescent alcohol use in countries such as the USA, UK and Australia, is typified by episodic consumption, which commonly occurs to the point of intoxication.1 – 4 This style of ‘risky drinking’ means that young people are frequently affected by blackouts (memory loss), hangovers and violence.5,6 Adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) use appears to peak at ‘special events’.7,8 For many young adults in Western countries, the milestone of school completion is marked by festive events. These multiple day celebrations are a much anticipated occasion for frivolity with fellow alumni; and, in Australia, up to half of all Year 12 graduates attend some form of these school leavers’ (also known as ‘Schoolies’ or ‘Leavers’) celebrations.9,10 Compared with the significant press coverage each year,11 there has been relatively little formal research into the phe- nomenon. The common theme of existing studies is that for a significant proportion of attendees, the event revolves around heavy alcohol use, some consumption of other drugs and engagement in other risky behaviours such as unprotected casual sex.12–20 Similar scenarios occur at other multiple-day peer-based celebratory events such as Spring Break in the USA,21,22 and russefeiring, a 17-day Norwegian graduation party.23 These risky behaviours are partially attributed to the ‘holiday effect’, a phenomenon where individuals on holiday tend to engage in risky behaviours not otherwise attempted at home.13,18,24 – 27 These elements include the temporary sus- pension of social codes, such as responsibility and account- ability; time away from usual authority figures; a peer-based environment and a reputation for AOD experimentation. Also, heavier drinkers appear to ‘self-select’ to attend party destinations with a reputation for AOD use.28 – 31 Tina Lam, Research Associate Wenbin Liang, Research Fellow Tanya Chikritzhs, Professor and Project Leader Steve Allsop, Professor and Director 408 # The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. Journal of Public Health | Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 408–416 | doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdt087 | Advance Access Publication 27 August 2013 D ow nloaded from https://academ ic.oup.com /jpubhealth/article-abstract/36/3/408/1520551 by 81828378 user on 11 July 2019 Currently, there are few international and no Australian peer- reviewed published studies which provide quantity-specific esti- mations that reliably gauge the extent of AOD use at school leavers’ celebrations (especially alcohol), and provide a fulsome view of its influence on behaviour. The aims of this study were therefore to (i) compare the levels of AOD use at an end of school celebration and use at other peer-based social events and (ii) relate the experience of harms experienced at the celebrations to levels of use and engagement in harm-minimization strategies. Methods Design Core data for this project were gathered using a two-part survey design with a self-report methodology. The majority of the respondents were aged 17 (legal purchase age for alcohol in Australia is 18).32 Respondents intended to, and/or had attended the 2009 school leavers’ celebrations on Rottnest Island. This Island is located 20 km off the west coast of Perth and is a popular location for the event in Western Australia. This location was chosen as the bulk of the visitors entered and exited via a single ferry terminal. This ‘bottle- necking’ facilitated survey administration. The first survey sampled young people who intended to attend the event (n¼ 541; 56% female; 91% 17 years