Sample size determination

Session objectives
• Understand why sample size calculation is important
• Know sample size calculation methods
 Introduction
• In planning any investigation we must decide how many people need to be studied in

order to answer the study objectives

• Common question: “How many subjects should I study?”

• Too small sample

• Compromise precision
• Results have no practical use i.e. Imprecise results

• Too large sample

• Waste of resources
• Data quality compromised
 Introduction
• The eventual sample size is usually a compromise between
what is desirable and what is feasible

• The feasible sample size is determined by the availability of

resources

• It is also important to remember that resources are not only

needed to collect the information, but also to analyze it
Sample size ---what facts do we need
The reasonable estimate of the key proportion to be studied.

(If you do not know the proportion, take it as 50%)

The degree of accuracy required. That is, the allowed deviation from the
true proportion in the population as a whole. It can be within 1% or 5%,
etc.

The confidence level required, usually specified as 95%, but can be 90%,
99% etc

Size of the population (<10000 needs correction)

Sample size … cont
 Sample size determination
• Given confidence interval =

mean ( proportion )  z  s.e

2

• Hence the absolute precision/accuracy denoted by d is given as

d  z  s.e
2

• Where s.e = the standard error of the estimator of the parameter of

interest.
1. Estimating a single population mean
Example … single popl
2. Estimating Single population proportion
• Let p denotes proportion of success, then
 Single population proportion formula
2
 Z  p* (1  p* )

n  2

E2
Where:
n - is the sample size
Zα/2 -is the value of Z from standard normal curve at α/2
For α= 0.05 the Z0.025=1.96; α =0.1 the Z0.05 = 1.65 and so on.
p= Best estimate of population proportion (When using the formula, if you let p*
= 0.5, this produces the maximum possible value for n for any given E and α)
E or (d)=Margin of error or maximum acceptable difference (tolerable error).
measures the precision of the estimate

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 Single population proportion … cont
Example:

• We wish to estimate the proportion of males in ‘Country X’ who

smoke.

• What sample size do we require to achieve a 95% confidence

interval of width ± 5% ( that is to be within 5% of the true value)? In a
study some years ago that found approximately 30% were smokers.

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 Single population proportion … cont

• p=0.3
• E or (d)=0.05
• CI (1-α) =0.95
• Z(α/2)= 1.96 for 95% confidence level

• Then n = (1.96)2(0.3)(0.7)/(0.05)2 = 322.7

≈ 323
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 Class activity

• A hospital administrator wishes to know what proportion

of discharged patients are unhappy with the care
received during hospitalization

• If 95% Confidence interval is desired to estimate the

proportion within 5%, how large a sample should be
drawn?
Consideration of sample size
 Design effects

• The loss of effectiveness by the use of cluster or multi-stage sampling instead

of simple random sampling is design effect.
• Working definition of design effect is that factor by how much sample
variance for the sample plan exceeds simple random sample of same size.
• How much worse your sample is from a simple random sample

• For cluster sampling, design effect is 2

• For multistage sampling design effect is equal to the number of stages

Thank You