What would be the appropriate measure of association for this study?.
As an epidemiologist for the County Disease Control Office, you are investigating an outbreak that occurred at a restaurant. The predominant symptoms included vomiting (81%), nausea (76%), and diarrhea (76%). The average incubation period was five hours with an average duration of 19 hours. Items consumed among the ill included prime rib, baked potato with butter, and green salad with dressing.
Figure 1:
FOOD ITEMS
PERSONS WHO ATE SPECIFIED FOOD
PERSONS WHO DID NOT EAT SPECIFIED FOOD
Ill
Not Ill
Total
Ill
Not Ill
Total
Prime Rib
18
3
21
3
5
8
Baked Potato
19
4
23
2
4
6
Green Salad
18
9
27
1
1
2
Figure 2:
Food Item
95% Confidence Interval
Prime Rib
1.4 – 65.7
Baked Potato
1.6 -218.5
Green Salad
.10 – 42.9
Case Assignment
Your task for this case assignment is to answer these questions:
What type of study was used for this investigation? Explain.
What would be the appropriate measure of association for this study?
Calculate the food-specific attack rates and calculate the measure of association between illness and each food item.
What does a confidence interval mean, and which 95% confidence intervals are statistically significant?
What do the results indicate regarding the likely source of exposure?
Assignment Expectations
Length: Case assignments should be at least 2 pages (500 words) in length.
References: At least two references must be included from academic sources
What would be the appropriate measure of association for this study?
