A researcher measures fasting blood sugar in 30 obese adults before and after a 12-week structured exercise programme. She wants to know whether the programme changed blood sugar levels. The most appropriate test is:
- A Independent samples t-test
- B Paired t-test ✓
- C Chi-square test
- D One-way ANOVA
Correct answer: B. Paired t-test
Explanation
The same individuals are measured twice, before and after the intervention, so the two sets of observations are dependent. The paired t-test compares the mean of within-subject differences against zero. An independent samples t-test requires two separate unrelated groups, which is not the case here, so it is the tempting but wrong distractor.
Reference: Mahajan's Methods in Biostatistics for Medical Students and Research Workers, 10th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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