Eating fruits and vegetables and smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects data related to health conditions and risk behaviors.32 Data in the BRFSS are aggregated by state. Figure 4.29 is a plot of two of the BRFSS variables. Fruits and Vegetables is the percent of adults in the state who report eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Smoking is the percent who smoke every day
(a) Describe the relationship between Fruits and Vegetables and Smoking. Explain why you might expect this type of association.
(b) Find the correlation between the two variables.
(c) For Utah, 22.8% eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and 6.8% smoke every day. Find Utah on the plot and describe its position relative to the other states.
(d) For California, the percents are 28.9% for Fruits and Vegetables and 8.9% for Smoking. Find California on the plot and describe its position relative to the other states.
(e) Pick your favorite state and write a short summary in which you estimate its position relative to states that you consider to be similar. Then use Table 4.3 to determine if your guess is supported by the data. Summarize your results.
