Introduction to

biostatistics
AHHG 4210 – Fall, 2022
Dr. Yasin Yasin
 • Biostatistics
• Definition, objectives, limitations and

Objectives
relevance
• Population and sample
• Summary statistics
• How to calculate
• How to present
Basics of biostatistics
 • Definition:

• Statistics is the science of gaining information

What is from numerical data (Moore, Statistician).

Statistics? • Statistics is the study of populations,

variation, and methods of data reduction
(Fisher, Statistician).
STAT205
STATISTICS
• Numerical facts or
data
• Numbers that can be
collected, analyzed,
and reported
https://hpreliability.com/the-role-of-statistics-in-reliability-engineering/

Examples:
• a person’s height and weight
• number of people in this room
• number of heart disease patients in Qatar who
smoke
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STATISTICS

• The practice, study,

and art of collecting
organizing,
summarizing, and presenting data
• We do this to better understand the
population (the people, animals, things, etc.)
we are interested in
STAT205
DATA
• Observations that you
or someone else
records
• Values of qualitative or
http://www.morssglobalfinance.com/big- quantitative variables
data-how-it-can-improve-our-health/

Examples:
• Variable: height; Values: 90cm, 6 feet, 72 inches
• Variable: price; Values: €20, $25, 60 QAR
A group or collection of data is called a data set or a
sample.
STAT205
Variables & Values
Variable
• Any observation that
can take on different
values https://www.slideshare.net/cpelfrey/
basic-variables-ppt
Value
• A specific measurement on a variable
Unit of Measurement
• No unit – just count how many of something
• Unit – metres, kilograms, beats per minute
STAT205
VARIABLES & VALUES
Variable Value
Age 18, 20, 25
Gender Male, Female
Height 80cm, 90cm, 6ft
Distance 250km, 1523 miles,
3 light years
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TYPES OF DATA
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QUALITATIVE V QUANTITATIVE
Qualitative or OR Quantitative
Categorical or Numerical
*
Categories; can only count Quantitative measurements
how many of each type

Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio

categories, categories, but measurable, measurable

have no have a specific but no true AND true zero
inherent order order (first, zero (e.g., (e.g.,
second, or temperature or distance,
best, worst) IQ) math test)
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NOMINAL DATA
Has a name only:
male, female,
street
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Categorical, but
the order also has
meaning

Category Frequency Percentage

Sweet 0 0
Mild 0 0
Hot 3 33.333%
Hotter 3 33.333%
Hottest 3 33.333%
STAT205

Interval data are quantitative (measurable) data

However, there is no true zero
Examples: temperature (Celsius or Farenheit), IQ
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Ratio data are quantitative (measurable) data AND

there is a true zero
Examples: distance, weight
STAT205
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QUALITATIVE DATA
Nominal and Ordinal Data
• Cannot be measured
• Can be counted only
• Can be reported as
frequencies
• 15 males and 22 females
• 10 Toyotas, 5 Hondas, 5 Fords
• Can be reported as percentages
• 40.5% males and 59.5% females
• 50% Toyotas, 25% Hondas, 25% Fords
STAT205
QUANTITATIVE DATA
Interval and Ratio Data
• Can be measured
• Can be reported as
frequencies and %
• Can also be used to
to calculate:

• centre (average score)

• variance (how different individuals are)
• Comparing groups (significant difference)
• Comparing individuals to groups (empirical rule)
• Make predictions (linear regression)
THE WORLD IS FULL OF STATISTICS!

• 250 million photos are uploaded every day on Facebook. 20% of all page views on the
web are on Facebook.
• The average person eats almost 1500 pounds of food a year.
• Seaweed can grow up to 12 inches per day.
• On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.
What is biostatistics?
Definition: Application of statistical principles in medicine and health sciences
based on applied mathematics. Biostatistics includes tools and techniques to
collect and analyze data and interpret the findings.

Objectives: The practical application of health science depends on

biostatistics.

Certainly, BIOSTATSTICS is a necessary component of all health sciences

research.
Why do
healthcare
providers
need
statistics?
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DESCRIPTIVE vs INFERENTIAL STATS

https://
luminousmen.com/post/
descriptive-and-
inferential-statistics

• Descriptive – describe (frequency, mean, etc.)

• Inferential – inference (make conclusions based on evidence)
 Inferential statistics
• Inferential statistics take into account the
probability of a certain outcome
happening by chance.
• Inferential statistics is a way of making
Types of inferences about populations based on
statistical methods samples.
• I.e., take sample from population and then
collect data from the sample and make
generalizations about a population.
• Inferential statistics is to estimate the
population parameters from a sample
statistics.
 • Limitations:
• To appropriately conduct biostatistical analysis,
attention needs to be paid to the following:

Limitations •
•
Objective/research question
Choosing an appropriate study design

of •
•
Representative sample
Data collection and analysis

biostatistics
• Appropriate summary (descriptive) measures
• Appropriate measures of association
• Quantifying uncertainty
• Appropriately accounting for relationships
between variables
• Limiting inference to appropriate population
STAT205
POP’N vs SAMPLE
Population
• The group we are
interested in (e.g.,
heart attack
patients in Qatar
who smoke)
Sample
• A smaller group of people selected from the popn
• Most times we cannot access an entire population
• Get information from a sample instead
 • Population
• The group of individuals that the
researcher intends to conduct research
on and draw conclusions from.
• Parameter: Any measure
Population computed on a population.
• N denotes population size
vs. Sample • Sample: Subset of the population
from which data is collected.
• Statistic: Any summary measure
computed on a sample.
• n denotes sample size.
 • To estimate rates and development of
new diseases.
• To examine the relationship between risk
factors and diseases.

Relevance of
• To test interventions (i.e. therapeutic
drug trials).

Biostatistics
• To examine contradictory results from
different studies.

Do you think research design is important?

What research designs would you use to
answer these questions?
STAT205 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What are some ways statistical analysis can be useful for healthcare
providers?
2. What is the difference between a sample and a population?
3. If the group we are really interested in is called a population, why does
most research only study a sample of the population?
4. What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics?
5. Describe the following situations as descriptive or inferential. Be
prepared to explain why.
a) A table reports the number of people in each country who have a BN, MN, or PhD in
Nursing.
b) Researchers use the data they have collected on weight and exercise to predict
patients’ lifespan.
c) Psychologists report the average IQ of students in different schools.
d) Researchers use data on the age and size of blue whales to see if the two variables are
related.
STAT205 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
5. Describe the following situations as descriptive or inferential. Be
prepared to explain why.
e) I found out that there are 25 Toyotas, 14 Hondas, 3 Subarus, and 3 Nissans in the
parking lot of UCQ.
f) For the cars in the UCQ parking lot, 80% are white, 10% are silver, and 10% are a variety
of other colours.
g) Based on the information gathered from 50 heart hospital patients, physicians suggest
people who continue to smoke after surgery do not live as long as patients who quit
smoking.