Univariable Analysis of a Nominal Dependent Variable

When information is combined for several individuals nominal dependent variables are often summarized as probabilities or rates. This chapter shows how to estimate probabilities and rates and how we can take into account the role of chance on these estimates. The most commonly used parameter is the probability of the event or characteristic. That probability is considered to reflect the location of the distribution of nominal data. In its most common form, prevalence is the probability that someone in a population has a particular disease at a particular point in time. The chapter considers a nominal dependent variable represented by the probability of the event. It discusses the sampling distribution for the rate of an event. The chapter looks at an example of how we calculate a confidence interval for the probability of an event represented by a nominal dependent variable.