Examples of type of variables and selected statistical test(s)
| Bivariate (unadjusted) analysis | ||
|---|---|---|
| First variable (*) | Second variable (*) | Statistical test(s) |
| Binary (unpaired) (paired) | Binary Binary | χ2, Fisher's exact McNemar χ2 |
| Binary (unpaired) (paired) | Continuous Continuous | Student's t-test Paired t-test |
| Binary | ‘Moving’ binary (survival curves) | Log-rank |
| Continuous | Continuous | Correlation (r), linear regression |
| Multivariable (adjusted) analysis | ||
| Target variable | Statistical test(s) | Other target variable(s) |
| Binary | Multiple logistic regression | Ordinal |
| Continuous | ANOVA; ANCOVA | – |
| Continuous | Multiple linear regression | Ordinal, binary |
| Integer count | Poisson regression | (contingency tables) |
| ‘Moving’ binary (eg, survival curve) | Proportional hazard function analysis (Cox regression) | – |
*Independent and dependent variables, when applicable, are not distinguished in this table. Paired indicates that the study design links (matches) particular participants in compared groups.
ANCOVA, analysis of covariance; ANOVA, analysis of variance.