WELCOME TO BIOSTATISTICS

Ma. Nemia L. Lizada, MD,FPAFP, MPH

 Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
a. define biostatistics
b. classify statistical data
c. differentiate descriptive and inferential statistics
d. explain the different types of variables
e. explain the uses and applications of biostatistics
f. identify various sources of data
g. select the data collection method appropriate to
your data needs
NATURE OF BIOSTATISTICS
DATA COLLECTION
 Biostatistics
☺“Bio” – means life
☺“Statistics” – science dealing with the
collection, organization, analysis, and
interpretation of numerical data
☺Biostatistics – application of statistical
methods to the life sciences like biology,
medicine and public health
 Biostatistics
☺Public Health Statistics – data needed as basis for the
planning, monitoring, and evaluation of health
services
a. Vital statistics – refers to data on vital events – no.
of births, deaths, marriages
b. Health statistics – refers to data on:
1. Morbidity – causes & frequency of illness
2. Hospital & clinic statistics
3. Service statistics
 Categories of Statistical Data
1. Demographic
2. Health Status
3. Health Resources
4. Health-related Socio-economic Environmental
Factors
 Two Branches of Statistics
1. Descriptive statistics – methods applied to
summarize and present data in order to
make them easy to analyze and interpret
a. tabulation
b. graphical presentation
c. computation of averages
d. measures of variability
 Two Branches of Statistics
2. Inferential statistics – methods applied to
make generalizations and conclusions about a
target or total population, based on results
from a sample or a part of the total
population
a. estimation of parameters
b. testing of hypothesis
 Exercise: Identify whether you are using
descriptive or inferential statistics:
1. Bar graph of the 10 leading causes of mortality in
your municipality
2. Estimation of the % of women with anemia based on
a sample of 100 of the total 1,000 women in
Community A
3. A table presenting the no. of TB cases among the
new patients
4. To determine whether there is an association
between smoking and lung cancer based on an
interview of 2,000 males
 Uses of Statistics
1. Minimize the risks of making wrong decisions
2. Computation of health indices which are employed
to describe community health
a. to assess the health status of a population to
identify public health problems and needs
b. to indicate priorities
 Uses of Statistics
c. to allocate resources
d. to evaluate prognosis in public health &
effectiveness of public health programs
e. to determine factors that may have a
bearing on causation & control of disease
 Applications of Biostatistics
1. Information-based decision-making process
2. Design & evaluation of research projects
3. Conduct of clinical trials for the development of new
drugs
4. Prevalence surveys & observational studies
5. Planning, part. in problem identification/situational
analysis, needs assessment
6. Evaluation of programs
 Why is Biostatistics needed as a science?

The Phenomenon of Variation : the tendency of

a measurable characteristic to change from
one individual or setting to another, or from
one instant of time to another instant within
the same individual or setting
Constant – phenomenon whose value
remains the same from person to person,
from time to time or from place to place
Variable – phenomenon whose value varies
from one individual to another or within
the same individual at different periods
of time
Exercise: Identify whether the information listed
below is a constant or a variable:
1. No. of months in one year
2. Age
3. Disease status
4. Sex
5. No. of centimeters in one inch
6. The height in centimeters
7. No. of pounds in one kilogram
8. Weight of children in kilogram
9. No. of children in the household
 Types of Variables
1. Qualitative – categories are used as labels
2. Quantitative – categories can be measured and
ordered according to quantity or amount, or whose
values can be expressed numerically
a. discrete – assume only integral values or whole
numbers
b. continuous – assume any value including
fractions or decimals
 Exercise: Identify the following variables:
1. Weight in kilograms
2. No. of children in the family
3. Type of infant feeding
4. Color of the eyes
5. No. of rooms in the house
6. Disease status
7. Immunization status
8. No. of beds in the hospital
9. Height
10.Nutritional status
Classification of Variables as to the Scale of
Measurement:
1. Nominal – qualitative
2. Ordinal – can be ranked or ordered
3. Interval – the exact distance between two
categories can be determined but the zero
point is arbitrary
4. Ratio – the exact distance between two
categories can be determined but the zero
point is fixed
 Nutritional status
• Types of Variable • Values /Categories
• A. nominal -normal or malnourished
-normal,mild,moderate,
• B. Ordinal
or severe malnutrition
-% of standard weight for age
• C. Ratio computed by
Actual wt of child
---------------------- x 100
Ideal wt for his age
DATA COLLECTION
 Categories of Data according to
Sources:
1. Primary data – data obtained first hand by the
investigator to help him answer specifically
the purpose(s) of his study
2. Secondary data – data which are already
existing and which have been obtained by
some other people for purposes not
necessarily those of the investigator’s
 Sources of Secondary Data
1. Census
2. Registries of vital events
a. birth certificates
b. death certificates
c. marriage certificates
3. Reports of occurrence of notifiable diseases
4. Clinic/hospital records, school records, family
records, logbooks
5. Registers for certain diseases
Exercise: Consider the ff. situations. Identify the
appropriate sources of data to obtain desired
information:

1. A municipal health officer needs to submit his

annual report. Part of this report are statistics
on the 10 leading causes of mortality in his
area. What is the appropriate source of this
information?
 Exercise:
2. A statistician was assigned to do the sampling
design of a study on urban poor. He needs to
know the population per barangay in Iloilo
City.
3. An investigator trying out a community based
intervention on acute respiratory infections
(ARI) wants to know baseline data on ARI.
 Methods of Data Collection:
1. Documented sources
2. Sample survey
a. observations
b. interview
c. questionnaires
 Exercise: Identify appropriate method of
data collection:
1. A hospital administrator wants to know how long
patients must wait before doctors can see them.
2. A health educator wishes to ascertain the
knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of high
school students regarding use of prohibited drugs.
3. An investigator wishes to determine the extent &
magnitude of the problem of hypertension in a
rural community.
 Desired Qualities of Statistical Data
1. Timeliness – interval between the date of occurrence
of the different events and the time the data is
ready to be used or disseminated
2. Completeness – completeness of coverage and
completeness in accomplishing all the items in
every form
“ Do the data cover the entire geographic area and
target population within the area of interest?”
“Are all the items in the different forms completely
filled up?”
 Desired Qualities (cont.)
3. Accuracy – closeness of a measured or
computed value to its true value
“ Do the data reflect the true situation”
4. Precision – repeatability or the consistency of
the information
5. Relevance – consistency of the data produced
with the needs of the data users
 Desired Qualities (cont.)
6. Adequacy – provision of all the basic
information needed to meet the requirements
of the user
“ Do the collected data provide all the basic
information needed to meet the requirements
of the user?”