Question 5:

A case control study investigated whether Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccination is associated with autism. Cases were all students enrolled in metropolitan Atlanta schools with autism. For each case, one control, matched for age, sex, race and school, was enrolled. School immunization records were used to determine whether each student had MMR vaccination.

There were 164 case-control pairs. Overall, 70.1% of cases and 65.2% of controls had MMR vaccinations. There were 36 pairs in which the case was vaccinated but the control was not. There were 28 pairs in which the control was vaccinated but the case was not.

a)Make a table summarizing the results.

b)Use an appropriate method to calculate the odds ratio.

c)Interpret the odds ratio.

d)Calculate a 95% confidence interval for the odds ratio.

e)Conduct an appropriate hypothesis test to determine whether there is strong evidence that MMR vaccination is associated with autism.

f)What do you conclude about the relationship between MMR vaccination and autism?