The use of a Kolmogorov--Smirnov type statistic in testing hypotheses about seasonal variation

Abstract

This paper presents a non-parametric method for testing departures from a uniform seasonal variation in incidence of disease. The method may be used either with exact dates of incidence when they are available or with monthly totals. It is equally valid for sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal departures from uniformity. A simulation study shows it to be much more powerful than other non-parametric alternatives and nearly as powerful as Edwards's test in detecting sinusoidal departures.