Question

Suppose that we were going to conduct a study to determine if there is an increased risk of getting lung cancer based on whether a person smokes or not. In the group of smokers(1) , we find that 10 out of 100 get lung cancer. In the non-smokers group(2), we find that 5 out of 200 get lung cancer. What is the sample relative risk?

Answer 1

Answer:

Sample relative risk is 4.

Step-by-step explanation:

We are given the following in the question:

Group 1 of smokers: 10 out of 100 get lung cancer.

$\text{P(Lung cancer for smoker)} = \dfrac{10}{100} = \dfrac{1}{10}$

Group 2 of non-smokers: 5 out of 200 get lung cancer

$\text{P(Lung cancer for non-smoker)} = \dfrac{5}{200} = \dfrac{1}{40}$

Sample relative risk:

• It is the ratio of probability of an outcome in an exposed group to the probability of an outcome in an unexposed group.

Sample relative risk =

$\dfrac{\text{P(lung cancer for smokers)}}{\text{P(lung cancer for non smokers)}}\\\\=\dfrac{\frac{1}{10}}{\frac{1}{40}} = \dfrac{40}{10} = 4$

Thus, sample relative risk is 4.