Embedded Files
Why was this investigated and reported?
Why was this investigated and reported?
A statistical report is a media article, press release, news report or research article that uses statistical information from a specific source to answer questions about a population.
The purpose of a statistical report is the reason that it was produced. This is usually to provide an answer to one or two key questions. The purpose is also related to the intended audience - who is going to read it?
Slower eating pace keeps kilos off - study
Aug 30, 2011, NZ Herald (original article)Slower eating pace keeps kilos off - study
Eating more slowly could be the answer to beating the battle of the bulge, according to a new survey.
Middle-aged women who eat slowly are much less likely to be overweight or obese than those who eat at a faster pace, University of Otago research shows.
Department of Human Nutrition researchers analysed the relationship between self-reported speed of eating and body mass index (BMI) in more than 1500 New Zealand women aged between 40 and 50.
Women in this age bracket have a high risk of weight gain.
Study principal investigator Caroline Horwath said that after adjusting for other factors including age, ethnicity, smoking, physical activity and menopause status, the researchers found that the faster women reported their eating speed to be, the higher their BMI
If analysis of the data confirmed a causal relationship, Dr Horwath and her team will test interventions that include a focus on encouraging women to eat more slowly.
171 words
Body mass index (BMI) is calculated from weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in metres) squared.
The healthy range of BMI for adults is considered to be between 18.5 and 25 kg/m2, with BMI over 30 kg/m2 one common definition of obese.
Focus Questions
Focus Questions
- What was the purpose of the report?
- What is the population of interest?
- Who conducted the study and/or prepared the report?
- Are there any potential conflicts of interest?
Possible Answers
Possible Answers
The purpose of this report is to describe the relationship between eating speed and BMI.
The population for the study was all NZ women aged between 40 and 50.
The study was conducted by the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago - in particular, Dr Caroline Horwarth (the principal investigator).
A potential conflict of interest is that if further research shows that eating slowly can reduce BMI, the research time will have another project to work on.
Note that you might not be able to find information to answer all of the focus questions. Statistical reports are sometimes incomplete, or some of the questions might not be relevant.
Task 1
Task 1
Answer the Purpose focus questions about the Drink Driving report:
- What was the purpose of the report?
- What is the population of interest?
- Who conducted the study and/or prepared the report?
- Are there any potential conflicts of interest?
Report-Drink Driving.pdfGoogle Sites
Report abuse