Comparison of the variance of newborn weight in the ecuadorian Sierra and Amazon regions

Authors

  • Edison Sotalin Nivela
  • Nancy Urbina Romo
  • Iván Pimienta Concepción

Keywords:

birth weight, Levene's test, variance, t-test for equality of means

Abstract

Introduction: Birth weight is a critical indicator of maternal and child health. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the variance of birth weight in newborns in the Sierra and Amazon regions of Ecuador.

Methods: The study population consisted of 112 newborns from the Sierra and Amazon regions of Ecuador. Descriptive information was determined for both regions, inclusión the mean, standard error of the mean, standard deviation and variance of newborn birth weight. Levene's test for equality of variances, and a t-test for equality of means under the assumption of equal and non-equal variances were developed.

Results: In the Sierra region, the mean weight was 3211 grams (standard error of 50 grams and standard deviation of 374 grams), while in Amazonia it was 3025 grams (standard error of 52 grams and standard deviation of 386 grams). This showed that birth weights in the Amazon region tended to vary slightly more than in the Sierra region. In the Sierra region, the variance (variability of newborn weights) was 139,705 grams squared, while in Amazonia it was 149,196 grams squared.

Conclusions: Regarding the hypothesis statement, it could be concluded that with a probability of error of 88 % (P-value 0.880), the variance of the groups was different, so they were assumed to be equal.

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Published

2023-12-16

How to Cite

1.
Sotalin Nivela E, Urbina Romo N, Pimienta Concepción I. Comparison of the variance of newborn weight in the ecuadorian Sierra and Amazon regions. Rev Cubana Inv Bioméd [Internet]. 2023 Dec. 16 [cited 2025 Jul. 31];42(2). Available from: https://revibiomedica.sld.cu/index.php/ibi/article/view/3125