FMHU5002 Introductory Biostatistics
Analysis interpretation presentation
Due Date and Time: Sunday, May 12th, 2024 11:59 PM Sydney Time
Assignment Category: Submitted Work
Assignment Sub-category: Recorded Audio-visual Presentation
Weighting: 25%
Task Instructions
A group of enthusiastic researchers have prepared a press release outlining the results of a recent analysis they have performed. You have been asked to review their statement to ensure the conclusions drawn from the analysis are appropriate. You have been provided with the press release (page 4 of this document), and the output from their analysis (generated using jamovi) on which their conclusions are based (page 4 and 5 of this document).
Your task is to prepare and submit a 3-minute audio-visual presentation which evaluates the appropriateness of the analysis used and the conclusions drawn by the researchers (as presented in their press release). Your presentation is to be accompanied by a 100-150 word written summary which provides an appropriate interpretation / conclusion based on the provided analysis output. The marking criteria for this task are provided on page 6.
In your presentation video, you should:
• Introduce yourself to your audience (e.g., by saying your name).
• Comment on whether you think the type of analysis performed is appropriate, including a justification for why or why not.
• Provide an interpretation of what the analysis output shows, highlighting any important or relevant features.
• Comment on whether you think the conclusions reported in the press release are (or are not) appropriate given the data, analysis conducted, and output provided, with a relevant explanation.
In your written summary, you should:
• Summarise how the analysis should be interpreted, including relevant numerical values. This should be structured similarly to the way you have reported conclusions from analyses conducted within tutorials.
Important Notes:
• You DO NOT require any content-knowledge about acrylamide. Your evaluation should be of the appropriateness of the conclusions drawn based on the statistical analysis performed and the provided output.
• Presentation submissions will be assessed based on the accuracy and clarity of the content, rather than the production value of the video itself.
• You should prepare the presentation as if delivering it to an educated lay person (someone who may not know anything about biostatistics). Use simple language to describe concepts where possible, focusing on the important and relevant content for interpretation.
• The minimum requirement is that we can see and hear you in the presentation. You must be visible in the recording. Submissions where the speaker cannot be seen will be given a 0.
• It is acceptable to use a mobile phone to make your recordings. You can also use Zoom, Canvas Studio, PowerPoint, or any other software or app of your choosing.
• Your presentation should be no shorter than 2:30 minutes and no longer 3:15 minutes.
• You do not need to use slides (or any other visual aids or props) for your presentation; however, you are welcome to use them if you want.
• We have no expectation that you professionally edit your submission. A simple “floating head” video is sufficient.
• Do not simply read out the axis labels or numerical values from the provided output – you need to describe what is being shown and convey what these values actually mean.
Task Instructions
Submit your recorded presentation and accompanying written summary by 11:59 PM Sydney Local Time on Sunday 12th May 2024 via Canvas (Assessments overview > Assessment 3: Analysis Interpretation presentation > Assessment Submission – Click Here > Select the files to upload and then click “Submit Assignment”).
If you have any administrative questions, please post them on the Canvas Discussion Board.
Go to Discussions > Analysis Interpretation Presentation - Discussion.
Alternatively contact the Associate Lecturer, Lucy Corbett:sph.epibio@sydney.edu.au
If you have difficulties submitting the assessment around the due time, please email [email protected] directly with your assessment attached to avoid late penalties. The timestamp of your email will be used as evidence of the date and time of your assignment submission. Please note responses to emails will only occur during business hours on standard working days.
Assessment Resources
PRESS RELEASE: Burnt chips – the next public health threat!
The next time you’re enjoying some delicious hot chips, take a good look at them to make sure they’re not burnt. Researchers have found compelling evidence that eating burnt foods like hot chips, or overcooked toast for breakfast, could be linked to an increased risk of cancer due to the damage it can cause to your DNA.
Acrylamide is a chemical that forms in carbohydrate-rich foods like potatoes and bread when cooked at high temperatures. The higher the temperature, and the longer the heating time, the higher the levels of acrylamide. The same chemical is found in tobacco cigarette smoke.
In their study, the researchers took a cross-sectional sample of 310 everyday Australian adults and estimated their acrylamide intake based on their usual diet. They then took blood samples and measured the amount of acrylamide circulating in their blood stream. They found overwhelming evidence that diets containing more acrylamide caused greater levels of acrylamide in the blood stream.
The researchers stated that “Increased dietary intake of as little as 2 ug/kg/day of acrylamide will lead to concentrations of acrylamide in the blood of over 100 pmol/g of haemoglobin – that’s the equivalent impact on the blood stream as smoking 5 cigarettes every day.”
ANALYSIS:
Dietary intake of acrylamide was measured in micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (ug/kg/day), and serum acrylamide concentration was measured in picomoles per gram of haemoglobin (pmol/g Hb). Both variables are continuous and approximately Normally distributed.