The proportion of individuals with a positive test primarily affects which predictive value?

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Multiple Choice

The proportion of individuals with a positive test primarily affects which predictive value?

Explanation:
Predictive values change with how common the disease is in the group being tested. The positive predictive value is the probability that someone who tests positive actually has the disease. If a larger share of the tested population truly has the disease, most positives are true positives, so PPV goes up. If the disease is rare in the group, many positive results are false positives, and PPV goes down. The test’s sensitivity and specificity are inherent properties of the test and don’t depend on how many people have the disease.

Predictive values change with how common the disease is in the group being tested. The positive predictive value is the probability that someone who tests positive actually has the disease. If a larger share of the tested population truly has the disease, most positives are true positives, so PPV goes up. If the disease is rare in the group, many positive results are false positives, and PPV goes down. The test’s sensitivity and specificity are inherent properties of the test and don’t depend on how many people have the disease.

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