Understanding a box plot involves recognizing its five-number summary:
- Minimum: The smallest data point excluding outliers. - Q1: The first quartile, or the 25th percentile. - Median: The middle value of the dataset. - Q3: The third quartile, or the 75th percentile. - Maximum: The largest data point excluding outliers.
In epidemiology, the median can indicate the central tendency of a health measure, while the interquartile range (IQR) (Q3-Q1) shows the variability. Outliers, often depicted as points outside the "whiskers," can indicate unusual health events or data anomalies worth further investigation.
