Statistics 227


Homework 9

Due Wednesday, 4 December 1996





In Homework 8, problem 3, you used logistic regression methods to analyze data on the occurrence of heart attacks among 35 individuals with high cholesterol levels (Table 11.17 in Selvin). The aim was to find a predictive model for the risk of heart attack. Specifically, you were to assess the risks associated with weight, cholesterol level, and cigarette usage. For Homework 9, reanalyze the data using appropriate survival analysis methods, as follows:
  1. Construct a new variable heavy which indicates whether an individual smokes more than 20 cigarettes per day. Assess whether heart attacks are more likely for heavy smokers than for light smokers by constructing the Kaplan-Meier (product-limit) estimates for the survival curves in the two groups.
  2. Construct a proportional-hazards regression model for survival. Is heavy or cigs (the number of cigarettes smoked per day) a better predictor?
  3. Compare the results from the logistic analysis and the Cox analysis. Describe how the models and the conclusions differ from one another.
  4. One patient appears to have had a particularly high cholesterol level. Does this affect either the logistic or the survival analysis?

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Last updated 26-Nov-96
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