Variables

Sherine Shawky, MD, Dr.PH

Assistant Professor
Department of Community Medicine &
Primary Health Care
College of Medicine
King Abdulaziz University
 Learning Objectives
• Understand the concept of
variable
• Distinguish the types of variables
• Recognize data processing
methods
Performance Objectives
• Select the variables relevant to
study
• Perform appropriate data
transformation
• Present data appropriately
Definition Of Variable
“A variable is any quantity
that varies. Any attribute,
phenomenon or event that
can have different values”
Information Supplied
By Variables
Indices of Person

Indices of Place

Indices of Time
Specification of Variable
Clear precise standard definition

Method of measurement

Scale of measurement
 Role Of Variable
Correlation

Interdependent Interdependent
 Role Of Variable
Association
Independent Dependent

Independent Independent
Effect
Confounding
modifier
Dependent
Dependent
 Types of Variables

Quantitative Qualitative
(continuous) (Discrete)
 I- Quantitative
Variables
• Data in numerical quantities that can
assume all possible values
• Data on which mathematical
operations are possible
• Example: age, weight, temperature,
haemoglobin level, RBCs count
 II- Qualitative
Variables
Qualitative variables are those
having exact values that can fall into
number of separate categories with
no possible intermediate levels

Nominal Ordinal
 1- Nominal Variable
Unordered qualitative categories

Dichotomous Multichotomous
(2 categories) (> 2 categories)
 2- Ordinal Variable
Ordered qualitative categories
Score birth order

Categorical social class

Numerical parity
discrete
Continuous & Numerical
Discrete Variables
Continuous Variable

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
Numerical Discrete

0 1 2 3
 Types of Variables
- Quantitative How much?
- Dichotomous
- Multichotomous Who, How,
- Score where, when,
- Categorical What,…etc.?
- Numerical How many?
discrete
 Data Collection Tool
Age in years:
Gender:
1) male, 2) female
Social class:
1) low, 2) middle,
3) high
Height in cm: .
Data Transformation

Data Creation of
Reduction composite variable
 Data Reduction
Example
• Data: Age from 47 individuals
• Arrange in ascending order: 20, 21,
22, 23, 23, 24, 25, 29,29, 30, 30,
34, 34, 34, 34, 34, 34, 35, 35, 36,
37, 39, 39, 40, 43, 43, 43, 46, 46,
47, 47, 48, 48, 48, 50, 52, 56, 56,
58, 59, 59, 60, 62, 64, 64, 67, 69
 Data Reduction
Example (cont.)
• Calculate the range: 69-20= 49
• No. of intervals= 5
• Width of class= 49/5 = 9.8  10
• Class intervals= 20-29, 30-39,
40-49, 50-59, 60-69
 Data Reduction
Continuous: 20, 21, 22…….69

Interval: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49,

50-59, 60-69
Ordinal: Twenties, Thirties,
Forties, Fifties, Sixties

Nominal: Young or Old

 Creation Of
Composite Variable
Single Composite
variables variable
Quantitative Quantitative

Qualitative Qualitative
Data Presentation

Tabular Diagrammatic
 Data Presentation
Variable Table Chart
Nominal - Frequency - Pie
- Percentage - Column or Bar
Ordinal - Frequency - Pie
- Percentage - Column or Bar
- Cumulative - Linear
frequency - Ogive
- Cumulative
percentage
Interval - Frequency - Histogram
- Percentage - Frequency
- Cumulative polygon
frequency - Ogive
- Cumulative
percentage
Continuous - Mean, SD - Scatter
- Mean, - Box plot
95 %CI
 Frequency Table
Family Freq %
Planning (no.)
None 98 49.0
Pills 65 32.5
IUDs 22 11.0
Others 15 7.5
Total 200 100.0
Pie Chart
 Column Chart
All categories Single Category
%
100% 40 32,5
80% 30 20,5
60%
20
40%
20% 10
0% 0
City A City B City A City B
None Pills Pill Users
IUDs Others
 Bar Chart
All categories Single Category

City B City B 20,5

City A City A 32,5

0% 20%40%60%80% 100 0 10 20 30 40
%
%
Pill Users
None Pills
IUDs Others
Frequency and Cumulative
Frequency Table
Breast Freq % Cum. Cum
cancer (no.) Freq %
Stage I 64 32.0 64 32.0
Stage II 58 29.0 122 61.0
Stage III 43 21.5 165 82.5
Stage IV 35 17.5 200 100.0
Total 200 100.0 200 100.0
 Linear Chart
Ogive
Percentage (Cumulative
Percentage)

Stages of Breast Cancer

Frequency and Cumulative Frequency
Table for Variable of Interval
Freq % Cum. Cum
(no.) Freq %
20-29 9 19.1 9 19.1
30-39 14 29.8 23 48.9
40-49 11 23.4 34 72.3
59-59 7 14.9 41 87.2
60-69 6 12.8 47 100.0
Total 47 100.0 47 100.0
Horizontal axis For Variable of Interval
Histogram Polygon
Class Boundaries Boundaries Mid
(1) (2) point
Lower Upper Lower Upper
20-29 20 30 19.5 29.5 24.5
30-39 30 40 29.5 39.5 34.5
40-49 40 50 39.5 49.5 44.5
50-59 50 60 49.5 59.5 54.5
60-69 60 70 59.5 69.5 64.5
 Histogram
% %
35 35
30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 5
0 0
20- 30- 40- 50- 60- 19.5- 29.5- 39.5- 49.5- 59.5-
69.5
70
 Frequency Polygon
%
40
30
20
10
0
24,5 34,5 44,5 54,5 64,5
Tabular Presentation
of Quantitative Data
or
Variable Total Mean SD 95% CI

Age 47 42.1 13.5 38.2-46.0

(years)
 Scatter Diagram
100
Weight in kgm

80
60
40
20
0
0 10 20 30 40 50

Age in years
 Box-whisker plot

AGE in years
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Male Female
N = 27 20
SEX
 Conclusion
The variable is the basic unit required to
perform a research. The researcher has to
select the list of variables relevant to the
study objectives, specify every piece of
information and assign its role. The type
of variable should be set in order to
allow for proper data collection,
transformation and presentation.