Can Different Diets Change Mouse Liver Iron? A Step‑by‑Step SPSS t‑Test Guide

Problem and Data

Randomly selected 20 mice were divided into two diet groups (A and B) with 10 mice each. After a feeding period, iron content in the liver (μg/g) was measured. The raw measurements for each group are listed in the original table.

Analysis

The data consist of two independent samples of a quantitative variable. To determine whether the diets affect liver iron, we compare the group means. If the data satisfy independence, normality, and equal variances, a two‑sample t‑test can be applied.

SPSS Procedure

Enter the data into SPSS.

Choose Analyze → Compare Means → Independent‑Samples T Test .

Move the iron variable to the Test Variable(s) box and the group variable to the Grouping Variable(s) box. Define groups A and B, then click Continue and OK .

The following screenshots illustrate the dialog settings and results.

Result Interpretation

The group statistics table provides means, standard deviations, and sample sizes for each diet group.

The Independent Samples Test shows Levene's test for equality of variances (F = 8.246, p = 0.010), indicating unequal variances. Therefore, the Welch‑corrected t‑test is used (t' = 2.109, p = 0.054).

Conclusion

Group A mice had liver iron content of (2.40 ± 1.09) μg/g, while Group B had (1.58 ± 0.56) μg/g. The difference is not statistically significant (t' = 2.109, p = 0.054), so the diet does not appear to affect liver iron levels.