How Do Critical Values Affect Public Health Decisions?
The determination of critical values directly impacts public health decisions by guiding the interpretation of study results. For example, if an epidemiological study finds that a new vaccine has a statistically significant effect (i.e., the test statistic exceeds the critical value), public health officials may decide to recommend its widespread use. Conversely, if the findings are not statistically significant, more research may be needed before any recommendations are made.
