Chapter 11, Problem 9RE

Treatment for Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a condition in which people experience decreased bone mass and an increase in the risk of bone fracture. Actonel is a drug that helps combat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. In clinical trials, 1374 postmenopausal women were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The subjects in the experimental group were administered 5 milligrams (mg) of Actonel, while the subjects in the control group were administered a placebo. The number of women who experienced a bone fracture over the course of one year was recorded. Of the 696 women in the experimental group, 27 experienced a fracture during the course of the year. Of the 678 women in the control group, 49 experienced a fracture during the course of the year.

1. a. What type of experimental design is this? What is the response variable? Is it qualitative or quantitative? What are the treatments?
2. b. The experiment was double-blind. What does this mean?
3. c. Does the sample evidence suggest the drug is effective in preventing bone fractures? Use the α = 0.01 level of significance.
4. d. Construct a 95% confidence interval for the difference between the two population proportions, p_exp − p_control.