Introduction to biostatistics

A report submitted to the

College of Nursing
University of Duhok

Student name: khamlin Hamad abdal

Moodle Email: khamlinnurse@gmail.com nu
Year: 3rd
Course:2nd
Course code: NUA0708
Instructor: deldar.M.abdulah
Data: 29/6/2020
Objectives
 Introduction to biostatistics
 What is statistics
 Descriptive and Inferential statistics
 Difference between descriptive and
Inferential statistics
 Variable
 Types of variable
Introduction to biostatistics
Biostatistics is the discipline concerned with the
treatment and analysis of numerical data from
biological, biomedical, and health-related studies.
The discipline encompasses a broad range of
activities, including the design if research, collection
and organization of data , summarization of results,
and interpretation of findings. In all it’s function,
biostatistics is a servant of the science.”
Biostatistics is more than just a compilation of
computational techniques. It is not merely pushing
numbers through formulas or computers, but rather
it is a way to detect patterns and judge responses.
the statistician is both a data detective and judge.”
The data detective uncovers patterns and clues.
While the data judge decides whether the evidence
can be trusted.
Goals of biostatistics include
 Improvement of the intellectual content of the data
 Organization of data into understandable forms
 Reliance on tests on experience as a standard of validity
What is statistics
The word statistics refers to both of data and
discipline. As a plural noun it means data or
summarized figures, while as a singular noun it
indicates the discipline of statistics .the origin of
this word is “state”. as a discipline, statistics is “a
science dealing with the collection ,analysis
,interpretation and presentation of masses of
numerical data “. And according to a dictionary for
epidemiology, statistics is the science and art of
dealing with variation in data through collection,
classification and analysis In such a way as to obtain
reliable results “.one can see similar statement
elsewhere. After all ,there are three points being
commonly recognized: first, statistics is the science
or dealing with widely existing variation among
data; second, the goal of statistics is to obtain
reliable results; third, statistics complete it’s
function through collection, classification, analysis
and examination
Key points
 Population This is a complete group (that is,
having every eligible person (or item) with a
particular characteristic). Depending on the
study the actual size of a population varies
from modest (for example, all minor injury
units in a particular region) to huge (for
example, all emergency treatment centres
in Europe).
 Sample This is a subset of the population
that has been collected for a study. As with
the population, the size of a sample can
vary.
 Parameter This is the value of a variable in
a population.
 Statistic This is the value of a variable in a
sample.
 Element This is a single observation.
 Statistical inference This enables statements to
be made about a sample based upon a
population's parameter. It also allows the
converse to occur but in this case it is
dependent upon random, representative
samples being taken.
What are descriptive statistics?
Descriptive statistics are just what they sound like—
analyses that summarize , describe, and allow for the
presentation of data in ways that
make them easier to understand.They help us
understand and describe the aspects of a specific set of
data by providing brief observations and summaries
about the sample, which can help identify patterns.
The summaries typically involve quantitative data and
visuals such as graphs and charts. Sometimes,
descriptive statistics are the only analyses completed
in
a research or evidence-based practice study; however,
they don’t typically help us reach conclusions about
hypotheses. Instead, they’re used as preliminary data,
which can provide the foundation for future research
by defining initial problems or identifying essential
analyses in more complex investigations. Common
descriptive statistics The most common types of
descriptive statistics are the measures
of central tendency (mean, median,
and mode) that are used
in most levels of math, research, evidence-based
practice, and quality improvement. These measures
describe the central portion of frequency distribution
for a data set.
The most familiar of
these is the mean, or average, which most people
use and understand. It’s calculated by adding the
sum of values in the data and dividing by the total
number of observations. The median is a number
found
at the exact middle of a set of data. If there are two numbers
at the middle of the data set (which occurs when there is an
even number of data points), these two numbers
are averaged to identify the median. It’s typically used to
describe a data set that has extreme outliers (very
low or very high numbers, distant from the majority of data
points), in which case the mean will not accurately represent
the data. (See What to do with outliers.) To calculate a mean
or median, data must be quantitative/continuous (have an
infinite number of possibilities).The mode represents the
most
frequently occurring number or item in a data set. Some
data sets have more than one mode, making them bimodal
(two modes) or multimodal (more than two modes).
The mode can be calculated with data that are
quantitative/continuous or qualitative/categorical (have a
finite number of categories or Inferential Statistics groups,
such as sex, race, or education level).
The mode is the only measure of central tendency that
can be analyzed with qualitative/categorical data.

Less common descriptive statistics

Measures of variability or dispersion
are less common descriptive statistics, but they’re still important
because they describe the spread of values across a data set.
Although
the central tendency of data is vital, the range of values (the
difference between the maximum and minimum values in the data)
also may be
important to note. The range not only sets boundaries for your data
set and indicates the spread, but it also can identify errors in the
data. For example, if you have a data set with
a diastolic blood pressure range of 230 (highest diastolic value) to 25
(lowest diastolic value) = 205 (range), an error probably exists in
your data because the values of 230 and 25
aren’t valid blood pressure measures
in most studies. Other measures of

Example of descriptive statistics

Suppose we want to describe the test scores in a specific class of 30 students. We

record all of the test scores and calculate the summary statistics and produce graphs.
Here is the CSV data file: Descriptive statistics.
Statistic Class value

Mean 79.18

Range 66.21 – 96.53

Proportion >= 70 86.7%

These results indicate that the mean score of this class is 79.18. The scores range from
66.21 to 96.53, and the distribution is symmetrically centered around the mean. A score
of at least 70 on the test is acceptable. The data show that 86.7% of the students have
acceptable scores.

Collectively, this information gives us a pretty good picture of this specific class. There
is no uncertainty surrounding these statistics because we gathered the scores for
everyone in the class. However, we can’t take these results and extrapolate to a larger
population of students.

Inferential statistics
Inferential statistics consists of procedures used to
make inferences about population characteristics
from information contained in a sample drawn from
this population. The objective of Inferential statistics
is to make inferences (that is ,draw conclusions,
make predictions, make decisions) about the
characteristics of a population from information
contained in a sample.

Achieving the objective of Inferential statistics: The

necessary steps

How can you make inferences about a population

Using information contained in a sample.? The task
becomes simpler if you train yourself to organize the
problem into a series of logical steps.
1. Specify the questions to be answered and identify the population of
interest
2. Decide how to select the sample. This is called the desire of the
experiment or the sampling procedure
3. Select the sample and analyze the sample information
4. Use the information from step 3 to make an inference about the
population
5. Determine the reliability of the inference.
Differences between Descriptive and Inferential
Statistics

As you can see, the difference between descriptive

and inferential statistics lies in the process as much
as it does the statistics that you report.

For descriptive statistics, we choose a group that we

want to describe and then measure all subjects in
that group. The statistical summary describes this
group with complete certainty (outside of
measurement error).

For inferential statistics, we need to define the

population and then devise a sampling plan that
produces a representative sample. The statistical
results incorporate the uncertainty that is inherent in
using a sample to understand an entire population.

A study using descriptive statistics is simpler to

perform. However, if you need evidence that an
effect or relationship between variables exists in an
entire population rather than only your sample, you
need to use inferential statistics.
What is variable
 variable is any characteristics, number, or quantity that
can be measured or counted. A variable may also be
called a data item. Age, sex, business income and
expenses, country of birth, capital expenditure, class
grades, eye colour and vehicle type are examples of
variables. It is called a variable because the value may
vary between data units in a population, and may change
in value over time.

For example; 'income' is a variable that can vary between

data units in a population (i.e. the people or businesses
being studied may not have the same incomes) and can
also vary over time for each data unit (i.e. income can go
up or down).

What are the types of variables?

There are different ways variables can be described
according to the ways they can be studied, measured,
and presented.
Categorical (qualitative)data
These occur when each individual can only belong to one
of a number of distinct categories of the variable.
There are 2 types of categorical data
1. Nominal data _the categories are not ordered but
simply have names. Examples include blood group
(A,B,AB,and O) and marital status
(mmarried,widowed,single, etc.) In this case ,there is
no reason to suspect that being married is any better
(or worse) than being single!
2. Ordinal data_the categories are ordered in some way .
Examples include disease staging systems (advanced,
moderate, mild, none) degree of pain
(severe, moderate, mild,none)

Numerical (quantitative) data

These occur when the variable takes some numerical value.
Subdivided into 2 Types
1.discrete data _ occurs when the variable can only take certain
whole numerical values. These are often counts of numbers of
events, such as the number of visits to a GP in a particular
years.
Continues data_ occur when there is no limitation on the values
that the variable can take, e.g. weight or height, other than
that which restricts us when we make the measurement.
Reference

1. https://books.google.com/books/about/Basi
c_Biostatistics.html?id=UqDfAgAAQBAJ
2. https://books.google.com/books/about/Medi
cal_Statistics_at_a_Glance.html?
id=upQ5tlFEc1sC