A pooled Bayes test of independence using restricted pooling model for contingency tables from small areas

Abstract

For a chi-squared test, which is a statistical method used to test the independence of a contingency table of two factors, the expected frequency of each cell must be greater than 5. The percentage of cells with an expected frequency below 5 must be less than 20% of all cells. However, there are many cases in which the regional expected frequency is below 5 in general small area studies. Even in large-scale surveys, it is difficult to forecast the expected frequency to be greater than 5 when there is small area estimation with subgroup analysis. Another statistical method to test independence is to use the Bayes factor, but since there is a high ratio of data dependency due to the nature of the Bayesian approach, the low expected frequency tends to decrease the precision of the test results. To overcome these limitations, we will borrow information from areas with similar characteristics and pool the data statistically to propose a pooled Bayes test of independence in target areas. Jo et al. (2021) suggested hierarchical Bayesian pooling models for small area estimation of categorical data, and we will introduce the pooled Bayes factors calculated by expanding their restricted pooling model. We applied the pooled Bayes factors using bone mineral density and body mass index data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in the United States and compared them with chi-squared tests often used in tests of independence.