1: Nature of Statistics

• science that deals w the collection, organization, analysis and interpretation of numerical data.

  Statistics
• Application of statistical methods to the life sciences

  Biostatistics
• Application of biostatistics

  1. Information-based decision-making
  2. Application of statistical techniques in the design and evaluation of research projects
  3. An integral part of the basic foundation upon which the expertise of health administrators, planners, and public health practictioners
• How many senses can statistics be defined?

  2
• What are the senses used to describe statistics

  Plural & Singular
• It is a set of numerical data or mass of observations

  Plural sense
• quantitative data needed as basis for planning, monitoring and evaluation of health services


  Public health statistics
• 2 types of public health statistics

  1. Vital health statistics
  2. Health statistics
• data on vital events, such as the number of births, deaths and marriages

  Vital statistics
• cover a wide variety of numeric information including data on morbidity, hospital and clinic statistics, an service statistics

  Health statistics
• Statistics is defines as a branch of science which deals with methods or techniques in the collection, presentation, analysis of data and interpretation of results


  Singular sense
• General use of statistics:

  1. use a limited sample to make intelligent and accurate conclusions about a greater population
  2. providing a better understanding and exact description of a phenomenon of nature
  3. proper and efficient planning of a statistical inquiry in any filed of study.
  4. collecting appropriate quantitative data
• What are the two main divisions of statistics?

  1. Descriptive statistics
  2. Inferential statistics
• Pertains to methods dealing with the collection, organization and analysis of a set of data without making conclusions

  Descriptive statistics
• Refers to methods of dealing with making inferences, estimation or predictions about a large set of data using the information gathered from a subset of this larger set.

  Inferential statistics
• Collection of all counts, measurements and responses that are of interest.

  Population
• Portion or subset of the population.


  Sample
• A number that describes a population characteristic. Denoted by small Greek letter.


  Parameter
• Number that describes a sample characteristic. Denoted by a small English letter.

  Statistic
• T/F: Data are neither constant or variable.

  F
• Value remains the same as in the case of pull of gravity or seed of light.

  Constant
• Categories which cannot be predicted with certainty like the age of gestation or the smoking habit.


  Variable
• T/F: Variables can be qualitative or quantitative

  T
• Categories which are simply used as labels to distinguish one group from another like sex, religion or civil status.

  Qualitative variables
• Categories which can be measured and ordered according to quantity, and where values can be expressed numerically such as birthweight, hospital bed capacity, arm cimrcumference, and population size.

  Quantitative variables