BHS220-Module 2 - Case Study

BHS220-Module 2 – Case Study
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First, state whether blood pressure in Table 2A would be a continuous variable or a discrete variable. Explain. Then supposing that the number of women in each of groups (non-users and users) were identified, would the number of women in each category be a continuous variable or a discrete variable? Explain
In the first instance the values of blood pressure are continuous variables, given that they are not fixed like in discrete variables. The blood pressure is a variable that is measure rather than counted, and hence the values in the interval are continuous variables. Continuous variables fall along the continuum of whole-number units and can include fractional amounts (Jackson, 2013). Similarly, the value of the blood pressure can fall anywhere within the specified range. On the other hand, if the variable would have been easily counted then the value would have been discrete. Blood pressure can only be represented in an interval density curve and not the probability distribution just like in random discrete variable. In a sample space of continuous variable, it is impossible to list all possible values, as theoretically the number of possibilities is infinite (Jackson, 2013).
According to Jackson (2013), discrete variables relate to whole number of units or categories composed of units that are distinct. By classifying the frequency of the data into either users or non users, it is easier to count the number of women in each category for different blood pressures. The number of women falling under users and non users are then discrete variables, as the number for each category is easily identifiable and can be counted. In any case, there are a number of possible outcomes for women users and nonusers of the pill, and this is a characteristic of discrete variables, whereas continuous variables have unlimited outcomes in a given interval. The number of users and non...