Chapter 1.1, Problem 1PB

Aspirin and heart attacks The Harvard Medical School study mentioned in Scenario 2 included about 22,000 male physicians. Whether a given individual would be assigned to take aspirin or the placebo was determined by flipping a coin. As a result, about 11,000 physicians were assigned to take aspirin and about 11,000 to take the placebo. The researchers summarized the results of the experiment by using percentages. Of the physicians taking aspirin, 0.9% had a heart attack, compared to 1.7% of those taking the placebo. Based on the observed results, the study authors concluded that taking aspirin reduces the risk of having a heart attack. Specify the aspect of this study that pertains to (a) design, (b) description, and (c) inference.