Investigating the Relationship between Changes in Weight Loss and Triglyceride Level - Essay Example

The change in weights and triglyceride levels were computed by subtracting the value taken at baseline from the values obtained at week 8. Averages, trimmed means, median, mode, and standard deviation were calculated from the population data. The relationship between weight loss and triglyceride level of each patient were shown using a 2-axis combination graph. Correlation between the two parameters will also be calculated. A linear regression analysis was conducted to predict the association between weight loss and triglycerides.

The regression equation was used to determine the decrease in the amount of triglycerides for every kilogram decrease in weight. Thirty-five obese patients participated in the study. At baseline, their weights ranged from 69.4 to 133 kg (Table 1). The same range was observed at Week 8 after the completion of treatments. Triglyceride levels at baseline shows that the range was at 57 – 446 mg/dl; however, the range was very wide after treatment, ranging from 54 – 795 dl/mg. The wide range was due to a very high increase in the triglyceride level of patient 231, who was also the only one to gain weight during the treatment.

The data also shows that the median, which is the middle number in the range of values, was not far off from the average or the means. However, the mode, which is the most repeated number in the array, was not close to the average values. Trimmed means (the practice of a chosen percentage of the values) were also close to the average values. These show that the data are clustered close together, hence the similar median, averages and trimmed means for the measured parameters. At eight weeks after treatment, the average loss in weight was estimated to be 3.

93 kg with a standard deviation of 2.76 kg. This large deviation can be attributed to the wide range in the weight loss