Findings can be statistically significant be clinically not significant. Which of the following studies with statistically significant findings exemplify this? (Select all that apply.)

Question

a. Seventy-five seconds of UV light daily can completely reverse the symptoms of allergic dermatitis.
b. Eating a cup of salad greens daily increases one's life expectancy by 2 years.
c. Petting a cat for five minutes daily increases one's endorphin levels.
d. Exercise Program Delta causes weight loss of 6.3 pounds per year in morbidly obese women.
e. Talking to a crying baby calms the baby more than ignoring it; picking up the baby calms it more than talking to it.
f. Medication R15B, taken daily from age 13, completely controls cystic acne by age 23.

Answer 1

ANS: C, D, E, F
The findings of a study can be statistically significant but may not be clinically important. For example, one group of patients might have a body temperature 0.1° F higher than that of another group. Data analysis might indicate that the two groups are statistically significantly different. However, the findings have little or no clinical importance due to the small difference in temperatures between groups. Persons with dermatitis would find the UV light treatment almost miraculous. Two extra years of life may be clinically important to those with good quality of life. Increasing endorphins is not due only to petting cats, so this study is not particularly significant, clinically. A weight loss of 6.3 pounds per year is not large enough to make a significant difference in the life of a morbidly obese woman. Picking up crying babies is something that even one's grandmother knows; this is not clinically useful. A medication that controls cystic acne ten years later is of little use to the adolescent who is miserable with acne.