BIOSTATISTICS- the application of statistics in the fields biology, medicine and public health

STATISTICS- science of collection, organization, analysis and interpretation of data.

2 BRANCHES OF STATISTICS
1. Descriptive statistics- refers to the different methods applied in order to summarize and present data
in a form that will make them easier to analyze and interpret.
2. Inferential statistics- refers to methods involved in order to make generalizations and conclusions
about a target population, based on results from a sample.

VARIABLE- a phenomenon whose values or categories cannot be predicted with certainty.

TYPES OF VARIABLES:
1. Qualitative variables
2. Quantitative variables
a. Discrete- if the values can assume only integral or whole numbers.
b. Continuous- if it can attain any value including fractions or decimals.

SCALE OF MEASUREMENT:
1. Nominal variables
2. Ordinal scale-those that can be ranked or ordered.
3. Interval scale- the exact distance between 2 categories can be determine but the zero point is arbitrary.
4. Ratio scale- similar with interval scale but the zero point is fixed.

CATEGORIES OF DATA ACCORDING TO SOURCE:

1. Primary Data- those that are obtained first hand by the investigator to help him answer specifically
the purpose/s of his study.
2. Secondary data- those that are already existing and which have obtained by other people for purposes
not necessarily those of the investigators.

SOURCES OF DATA:
1. Census
2. Registries of Vital Events
3. Reports of Occurrence of Notifiable Diseases
4. Health records/employment records
5. Family records

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

1. Observations
2. Interview
3. Use of questionnaires

QUALITIES OF STATISTICAL DATA

1. Timeliness
2. Completeness
3. Accuracy
4. Precision
5. Relevance
6. Adequacy

SAMPLING- the act of examining or studying only a segment of the population to represent the whole.

USES OF SAMPLING IN PUBLIC HEALTH

1. Evaluating the health status of the population
2. Investigating the factors affecting health
3. Evaluating the effectiveness of health measures
4. Assessing specific aspects in the administration of health services
5. Evaluating the reliability and completeness of record systems

/jjgb CPHM121 Lecture No. 2

POPULATION- in the context of sampling, it refers to entire group of individuals or items of interest in the
study.

2 Types:
1. Target Population- is the group from which representative information is desired and to which
inferences will be made.
2. Sampling population- population from which a sample will be actually taken.

ELEMENTARY UNIT/ELEMENT- an object or a person on which a measurement is actually taken or an

observation is made.
SAMPLING UNIT- units which are chosen in selecting the sample and may be made up non-overlapping
collection elements or elementary units.

SAMPLING FRAME- listing or map which represents the collection of all sampling units
SAMPLING ERROR- the difference between the value of the parameter being investigated and the estimates of
the value based on different samples.

BASIC SAMPLING DESIGNS

- A good sampling design must follow the following criteria: should be representative of the
population, sample size must be adequate, practicability and feasibility of sampling procedure,
economy and efficiency of the sampling design.

2 TYPES:
1. Non-probability sampling designs- the probability of each member of the population to be selected in
the sample is difficult to determine or cannot be specified.
a. Judgment or purposive
b. Accidental/Haphazard
c. Quota sampling
d. Snowball technique- useful in studying hidden populations
2. Probability Sampling Designs-where rules in selecting the sample is specified and each element has a
known, non-zero chance of being included in the sample.
a. Simple Random Sampling- every element in population has a known equal chance of being
included in the sample.
b. Systematic sampling-sampling interval(k) is determined first then one number from 1 to k will be
drawn at random. The element corresponding to that number and every kth number thereafter
will be included in the sample.
c. Stratified random sampling- the population is first divided into non-overlapping groups called
strata. A simple random sample is then selected from each stratum.
d. Cluster sampling-the population is first divided into CLUSTERS that serve as the sampling unit
and a sampple of units are selected. Every element found in ach sampling unit drawn as sample
may or may not be included in the study.
e. Multi-stage sampling design

SAMPLE SIZE ESTIMATION

DEPENDS ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:
1. Study design used
2. Magnitude of the parameter being investigated
3. Variability of the parameter being investigated
4. Level of precision desired
5. Data analysis plan

/jjgb CPHM121 Lecture No. 2