Question

The Framingham Heart Study recorded the systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 3,534 adults and reported a 95% confidence interval for the population mean SBP of 126.7 to 127.9 mm Hg. The correct interpretation for this confidence interval is that we are 95% confident that

a) the adults in this sample have SBP values between 126.7 and 127.9 mm Hg.
b) adults in the population have SBP values between 126.7 and 127.9 mm Hg.
c) the population mean SBP is a value between 126.7 and 127.9 mm Hg.

Answer 1

We are 95% confident that the population mean SBP is a value between 126.7 and 127.9 mm Hg.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct interpretation for this confidence interval is that we are 95% confident that the population mean SBP is a value between 126.7 and 127.9 mm Hg. This means that if we were to repeat the study multiple times and calculate a confidence interval each time, 95% of those intervals would contain the true population mean SBP. It is not correct to say that all adults in this sample have SBP values between 126.7 and 127.9 mm Hg, or that all adults in the population have SBP values between 126.7 and 127.9 mm Hg.