Debre Tabor University

College of Health sciences

Social and Public Health Unit

Variables

By: Marelign Tilahun (Assistant Professor, MPH/Epidemiology & Biostatistics)

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Variable
 What is a variable?
 What types of variables do you know?
 What is the importance of knowing types of variables?
Identify the type of the outcome variable and also indicate
the outcome variable and possible independent variables
for the title bellow
 Exclusive breast feeding practice and associated factors
among mothers of under two years children in Arba Minch
town

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Variable
 Variable: A characteristic which takes different
values in different persons, places, or things.
 Any aspect of an individual or object that is
measured (e.g. BP) or recorded (e.g. age, sex) and
takes any value.
 There may be one variable in a study or many.
 E.g. A study of treatment outcome of TB

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 SUMMARY

Variable

Qualitative Quantitative
or categorical measurement

Nominal Ordinal Discrete Continuous

(not ordered) (ordered) (count data) (real-valued)
e.g. ethnic e.g. response e.g. # of e.g. height
group to treatment admissions

Measurement scales
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Depending on scales of
measurement we have:

Four levels of measurement

Nominal measures
Ordinal measures
Interval measures
Ratio measures

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1. Nominal scale:
 The simplest type of data, in which the values fall
into un-ordered categories or classes
 Uses names, labels or symbols to assign each
measurement.
◦ Examples: Blood type, sex, race, marital
status

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2. Ordinal scale:
 Assigns each measurement to one of a limited
number of categories that are ranked in terms of
order.
 Although non-numerical, can be considered to have
a natural ordering
◦ Examples: Patient status, cancer stages, social
class

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3. Interval scale:
- Measured on a continuum
- Differences between any two numbers on a scale are of
known size.
Example: Temp. in oF on 4 consecutive days
Days: A B C D
Temp. oF: 50 55 60 65
For these data, not only is day A with 50 o F cooler than day D
with 65o but is 15o cooler.
- It has no true zero point. “0” is arbitrarily chosen and doesn’t
reflect the absence of temp.

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4. . Ratio scale:
- Measurement begins at a true zero point and the
scale has equal space.
- Examples: Height, weight, BP, etc.

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 Exercises:
Give the correct scales of measurement for each
variable
1. Blood group
2. Temperature (Celsius)
3. Hair colour
4. Job satisfaction index (1-5)
5. Number of heart attacks
6. Calendar year
7. Serum uric acid (mg/100ml)
8. Number of accidents in a 3 - year period
9. Number of cases of each reportable disease
reported by a health worker
10.The average weight gain of 6 1-year old dogs with
a special diet supplement was 950 grams last
month. 12/10/24 10
 Dependent and independent
variables
Because in health research we often
look for associations, it is important to
make a distinction between dependent
and independent variables.

Both the dependent and independent

variables together with their operational
definitions (when necessary) should be
stated.

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Dependent and independent
variables …

The variable that is used to describe or

measure the problem under study is
called the dependent variable.

The variables that are used to describe

or measure the factors that are
assumed to influence (or cause) the
problem are called independent
variables.

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 Variables …
 For example, in a study of relationship
between smoking and lung cancer,
"suffering from lung cancer" (with the
values yes, no) would be the dependent
variable and "smoking" (with the values
no, less than a packet/day, 1 to 2
packets/day, more than 2 packets/day)
would be the independent variable.

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 Background variables
 In almost every study involving human
subjects, background variables, such as, age,
sex, educational status, monthly family
income, marital status and religion will be
included.
 These background variables are often related
to a number of independent variables, so
that they influence the problem indirectly.
 Hence they are called background variables
or background characteristics.

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 Operationalizing
variables
Operationalizing variables means that
you make them ‘measurable'.
Example: In a study on VCT acceptance,
you want to determine the level of
knowledge concerning HIV in order to
find out to what extent the factor ‘poor
knowledge’ influences willingness to be
tested for HIV.
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 Cont’d
 The variable ‘level of knowledge’ cannot be
measured as such.
 You would need to develop a series of
questions to assess a person’s knowledge.
 The answers to these questions form an
indicator of someone’s knowledge on this
issue, which can then be categorized.

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 Cont’d …
If 10 questions were asked, you might decide that the
knowledge of those with:
 0 to 3 correct answers is poor,
 4 to 6 correct answers is reasonable, and
 7 to 10 correct answers is good.

To operationalize variables of interest: we use

 Existing measures
 Observation

 Self report
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 Cont’d …

Operational definitions of variables

are used in order to:
Avoid ambiguity
Make the variables to be more
measurable

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For each of the following research questions identify the outcome and
independent variables

a. The prevalence of contraceptive use among women in the reproductive

age group in Arba Minch town

b. The prevalence of malaria infection among under five children in

Kebelle “X” in Arba Minch town

c. The prevalence of malnutrition among under 5 children in Amhara

region.

d. Factors associated with Age at first sexual initiation among youths

visiting HIV testing and counseling centers in Gamo-Gofa Zone, South
West Ethiopia

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Is It operationally defined or not?

a. Knowledgeable: - The respondents said to be knowledgeable if they

give correct answers for at least four knowledge related questions.

b. Positive attitude: - The respondent’s attitude said to be positive if they

give correct answers at least for two attitude related questions.

c. Late presentation to HIV care: if an HIV positive patient comes late for
ART treatment

d. Which of the epidemiological study designs will be used as a first clue

in the identification of first occurrence of unusual disease?

A. Case control B. Case series C. case report D. cohort

e. In case control study design both the outcome and exposure status have
already occurred at the initiation of the study? A. True B. False
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