2. Study participants either received either a 10-day course of an antibiotic (treatment) or a placebo similar in appearance and taste (control). At the end of the 10-day period, patients were asked if they experienced an improvement in symptoms.

Answer the next two questions based on this scenario.

1. What is the explanatory variable in this study?

improvement in symptoms

antibiotic treatment

placebo

2. What is the response variable in this study?

improvement in symptoms

antibiotic treatment

placebo

The Buteyko method is a shallow breathing technique developed by Konstantin Buteyko, a Russian doctor, in 1952. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Buteyko method can reduce asthma symptoms and improve quality of life. In a scientific study to determine the effectiveness of this method, researchers recruited 600 asthma patients aged 18-69 who relied on medication for asthma treatment. These patients were randomnly split into two research groups: one practiced the Buteyko method and the other did not. Patients were scored on quality of life, activity, asthma symptoms, and medication reduction on a scale from 0 to 10. On average, the participants in the Buteyko group experienced a significant reduction in asthma symptoms and an improvement in quality of life.

1. Identify the main research question of the study. Give your answer as a complete sentence using proper grammar and punctuation.

2. Who are the subjects in this study? Be clear and specific in your response.

3. How many subjects are included in the study?

4. State all the variables in the study AND identify each variable as numerical or categorical. If numerical, state whether the variable is discrete or continuous.