Question

Difficulty: MediumHypothesis Testing and Statistical Power

An academic research group is designing a prospective cohort study to investigate the association between daily ultra-processed food consumption and the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in young adults. To ensure the study yields reliable conclusions, the principal investigator specifies an acceptable false-positive rate of 5%5\%. Through a pilot analysis and sample size estimation, the research team determines there is an 18%18\% probability that the study will fail to detect a true 1.51.5-fold increased risk of NAFLD, should one actually exist. Based on these specified parameters, what is the statistical power of this cohort study to detect the true association, expressed as a percentage?

Answer: 82 %

Answer

82
Statistical power is defined as the probability of correctly rejecting the null hypothesis when it is indeed false (i.e., the ability of a study to detect a true effect or association). Mathematically, power is calculated as 1−β1 - \beta, where β\beta is the Type II error rate. In this vignette, the researchers note an 18%18\% chance of failing to detect a true 1.51.5-fold increased risk. This failure to detect a true difference is a Type II error, meaning β=0.18\beta = 0.18 (or 18%18\%). Therefore, the statistical power of the study is 1−0.18=0.821 - 0.18 = 0.82, or 82%82\%. The 5%5\% false-positive rate mentioned in the stem represents the Type I error rate (α\alpha), which is used to set the significance level but is not used in the direct arithmetic calculation of power when β\beta is already known.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the Type II error rate (β\beta) from the clinical scenario.
β=18%\beta = 18\%
The stem defines an 18%18\% probability of failing to detect a true increased risk, which is the definition of a Type II error.
2
Identify the formula for statistical power.
Power=1−β\text{Power} = 1 - \beta
Statistical power represents the probability of correctly rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false, which is the complement of the Type II error rate.
3
Calculate the final percentage.
100%−18%=82%100\% - 18\% = 82\%
Substituting the β\beta value into the formula provides the statistical power.

Key Concept

Statistical power is calculated as 1−β1 - \beta, where β\beta represents the probability of committing a Type II error (failing to detect a true difference).
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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