Greetings STATAlisters...
I have a question that isn't necessarily related to the syntax
of a command but rather, the appropriateness of the statistic.
As I understand Kendall's tau (otherwise known as Kendalls rank
correlation coefficient), it is most appropriate for ordered
contingency table data; that is, the two variables need to
assume some sort of sequential ordering. My query is this: if
one of my variables is ordered (normal-->moderate-->severe) and
the other is continuous (e.g. proportion of total caloric
intake from saturated fat), can I use Kendall's tau to
ascertain some degree of correlation?? Note that my dataset is
small so I am hesitant to employ a parametric test and I want
to know how much the two variables are correlated, not simply
the existence of an association/distribution equality (K-W
test). I understand there is an issue of the SJ/STB that
addresses an issue similar to this, however, I do not have
access to the journal.
I think you are referring to my article (Newson, 2002). A pre-publication
draft of this paper is available on my website at
