Researchers selected a simple random sample of 4048 medical records of adults diagnosed with gum disease. In all, 2226 were current smokers, 891 were former smokers, and 931 never smoked regularly. Their research question is, Do these data indicate that gum disease is equally likely regardless of smoking status? Which of the following is the appropriate null hypothesis for this test?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The appropriate null hypothesis for this test is that the proportion of adults diagnosed with gum disease is the same regardless of smoking status. Therefore, the null hypothesis can be written as: pCurrent = pFormer = pNever, where pCurrent, pFormer, and pNever denote the proportion of adults diagnosed with gum disease who are current smokers, former smokers, and never smokers, respectively. Choice A and B specify inequality, which is not appropriate for the null hypothesis. Choice D specifies none of the above, which is not helpful. Therefore, C is the best choice as it correctly specifies the null hypothesis for this test.

Researchers Selected a Simple Random Sample of 4048 Medical Records