Most babies admitted to the NICU are premature (born before 37 weeks of pregnancy), have low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds), or have a medical condition that requires special care.
Independent variable. An independent variable is used in statistics to predict or explain a dependent variable. For example, Age and Gender might be used as independent variables to predict the age of death or life expectancy (dependent variables). In experimental designs, the independent variables are manipulated by the researcher (e.g., different dosages of a drug).
In experimental studies, where the independent variables are imposed and manipulated, the dependent variable is the variable thought to be changed or influenced by the independent variable. Example: study title: Effects of a new tooth paste (YummyTooth) on incidence of caries in 1st grade children. is the independent variable and Y is the dependent variable-the outcome, and Z is the type of subjects represented. A simple example would be: The effects of tomatoes on risk of prostate cancer in Scandinavian men.