Question

If a regression analysis was to be completed on body mass index (BMI), what could be an independent variable in that analysis? Why? If we could, what other independent variables should be included in the analysis? What statistic(s) would show the value of that regression in understanding BMI? Alternatively, find an article that uses regression analysis to study a medical concern. In that study, what was the dependent variable and what were the independent variable(s)? Further, how would you use this study to highlight the difference between correlations and causation?

Answer 1

For example, the body mass index (BMI) of women which is the measure of weight relative to height is recoreded to know the people with overweight and obese. People with high BMI are considered to be overweight and obese.

Dependent variable: Body mass index (BMI)

Independent variable: Duration of physical activity (in minutes), Consumption of particular kind of foods,

The correlation coefficient between dependent and independent variable shows the relationship between these two variable(In regression analysis r² value is obtained where r is the correlation coefficient).

The correlation coefficient tells the association between variables while the causation explains these association. The causation can be identified by the experiment when one independent variable changes while holding other variable constant.