This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Correlation

Authoring team

The correlation of data is a measure of how much one variable is affected by another. Thus, if for a given variable x the variable y can be predicted in some sort of straight line relationship, then they may be said to be correlated.

For normally distributed data Pearson's correlation coefficient, r, is used, which has a value of -1 to 1. Zero implies no correlation; a negative number implies that increasing x decreases y. The closer to 1 (or -1) the better the correlation.

Note that for a given line equation, y=mx + c, where m is the gradient, and c the y axis intercept, the correlation coefficent is not the same as the gradient.

For data that is not normally distributed Spearmans or Kendalls correlations are used.


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.