BASIC

BIOSTATISTICS &
SPSS
Dr. Bilal Siddiqui
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Introduction of statistics.
2. Differentiate between descriptive and inferential
statistics.
3. Establish the link between statistics and data.
4. Differentiate population and sample.
5. Identify the different types of data and variables.
6. Sampling methodology
7. Prospective and retrospective study design
8. Introduction to SPSS and data entry.
9. Exercise.
 What Is Statistics?
1. Collecting Data
e.g., Survey

2. Presenting Data
e.g., Charts & Tables

3. Characterizing Data
4. Data Analysis (Why)
5. Decision Making

© 1984-1994 T/Maker Co.

 STATISTICS
Statistics is the study of techniques and procedures
dealing with the collection, organization, analysis,
interpretation and presentation of information.

Biostatistics is the branch of statistics responsible for the

proper interpretation of scientific information generated
in the biology, public health and other health sciences
(i.e., the biomedical sciences)
 What do statistician do?

Assist researchers in :

• Planning and designing the experiment

• Analyzing the data
• Interpreting result and present.
 How statistics is helpful
 Descriptive Statistics
• Collection, organizing, summarizing and presenting data.

 Inferential Statistics

• Is concerned with the reaching conclusion from raw data.

• Use sample data to make inferences (or generalizations)

about a population.
 Statistics: Two Processes

Describing sets of data

and

Drawing conclusions (making estimates,

decisions, predictions, etc. about sets of data
based on sampling)
 Statistical Methods
Statistical
Methods

Descriptive Inferential
Statistics Statistics
 Descriptive Statistics
1. Involves
• Collecting Data
• Organizing Data
• Summarizing Data
• Presenting Data

2. Purpose
• Describe Data
 Inferential Statistics
1. Involves
• Estimation
• Hypothesis
Testing

2. Purpose
• Make decisions about
population characteristics
Basic terminologies
Population: A collection, or set, of individuals
or objects or events whose properties are to be
analyzed.

Sample: A subset of the population.

Variable: A characteristic of each individual of a population
or sample.

Parameter: A numerical value summarizing

• P in Population
all the data of an entire population. & Parameter
• S in Sample
& Statistic
Statistic: A numerical value summarizing
the sample data.

POPULATION SAMPLE

PARAMETER STATISTICS
Data and its types
 DATA
Data (singular): The value of the variable
associated with one element of a population or
sample. This value may be a number, a word, or a
symbol.
Data (plural): The set of values collected for the
variable from each of the elements belonging to the
sample.
Experiment: A planned activity whose results
yield a set of data.
 VARIABLE & DATUM
VARIABLE DATUM
The value of the variable
A characteristic of each associated with one
individual of a population element of a population or
or sample. sample. This value may
be a number, a word, or a
E.g. symbol.
Height E.g. Feet/centimeters
Eye color Black, green, grey etc
 Types of Data
Types of
Data

Quantitative Qualitative
Data Data

Quantitative data are measurements that are recorded on a

numerical scale. E.g. Weight of MSPH students.

Qualitative data are measurements that cannot be measured on a

numerical scale; they can only be classified into one of a group of
categories. E.g. Gender/blood groups of MSPH students.
 Types of
Variables

Quantitative Qualitative
Variables Variables

Discrete Continuous Nominal Ordinal

Variable Variable Variable Variable

Interval Ratio
 Quantitative
Variables

Discrete Continuous
Variable Variable

Discrete Variable: They must be integers Continuous Variable: values in fractions or

i.e. whole numbers. decimals.

3
Example: Example: 2 2.5
1.No. of hospital admissions 1,2,3 1.Height (Feet) 5.6, 6.1, 6.3…..
2.No. of guests on a birthday party. 2.Weight (Kgs) 61.6, 74.2, etc.
3.No. of cars in a parking plot. 3.Temperature
 Qualitative
Variables

Nominal Ordinal
Variable Variable

Nominal Variable: Variables that has no Ordinal Variable: Variables that incorporates
inherent order or ranking sequence to an ordered position, or ranking.
categorize.
Example:
Example: 1.Rating scale: Poor, good, excellent etc
1.Gender: Male, Female 2.Blood groups A, B, AB, O etc.
2.Eye colors
3.Race/ethnicity
 Quantitative
Variables Interval

Discrete Continuous
Ratio
Variable Variable

Interval: There is no absolute zero point Ratio: There is a true zero point (zero
e.g. temperature. means zero)
320F or 273K
0 lb

00C
0 Kg
 Summary

 Nominal - categories only

 Ordinal - categories with some order

 Discrete – whole numbers

 Continuous - decimals
Example:
Identify each of the following examples as qualitative or quantitative
variables.

1. The area of residence of each student in a statistics class.

(qualitative)
2. The amount of petrol (liters) consumed by the MSPH students
who come by care. (quantitative)
3. The amount of daily water consumption by MSPH students.
(quantitative)
4. The eye colors of all the MSPH students. (qualitative)
5. The length of time to complete a statistics assignment.
(quantitative)
6. The blood group of all MSPH students. (qualitative)
 SOURCES OF DATA

1. Surveys and Experiments

a. Retrospective studies
b. Prospective studies
 Timeframe of Studies
• Prospective Study - looks forward,
looks to the future, examines future
events, follows a condition, concern or
disease into the future

time

Study begins here

 Timeframe of Studies
• Retrospective Study - “to look back”,
looks back in time to study events that
have already occurred

time

Study begins here

 Prospective Vs Retrospective
studies
Prospective Studies Retrospective studies
Advantages: Advantages:
1. Complete data 1. Economical
2. Bias can be prevented 2. Good for rare diseases
Disadvantages: 3. Give answers quickly
1. Expensive 4. Cases are easily identified
2. Time consuming
• Disadvantages:
1. Incomplete data
2. Doubtful results
3. Bias
 Sampling methodology

Population: A collection, or set, of individuals

or objects or events whose properties are to be
analyzed.

Sample: A subset of the population.

 Why sampling?

Get information about large populations

 Less costs
 Less field time
 More accuracy i.e. Can Do A Better Job of Data
Collection
 When it’s impossible to study the whole
population
Target Population:
The population to be studied/ to which the investigator
wants to generalize his results
Sampling Unit:
smallest unit from which sample can be selected
Sampling frame
List of all the sampling units from which sample is
drawn
Sampling scheme
Method of selecting sampling units from sampling
frame
 Types of Sampling
 Simple Random Sample

 Stratified Random Sample

 Cluster sampling

 Systematic

 Convenience
 Simple Random Sample
• Every subset of a specified size n from the
population has an equal chance of being
selected
 Stratified Random Sample
• The population is divided into two or more
groups called strata, according to some
criterion, such as geographic location, grade
level, age, or income, and subsamples are
randomly selected from each strata.
 Cluster Sample
• The population is divided into subgroups
(clusters) like families. A simple random
sample is taken of the subgroups and then all
members of the cluster selected are surveyed.
 Systematic Sample
• Every nth member ( for example: every 10th
person) is selected from a list of all population
members.
 Convenience Sample
• Selection of whichever individuals are easiest
to reach
• It is done at the “convenience” of the
researcher
 Errors in Sampling
• Non-Observation Errors
– Sampling error: naturally occurs
– Coverage error: people sampled do not match the
population of interest
– Non-response: won’t or can’t participate
 Errors of Observation
• Interview error- interaction between
interviewer and person being surveyed
• Respondent error: respondents have difficult
time answering the question
• Measurement error: inaccurate responses
when person doesn’t understand question or
poorly worded question.
 Missing data
• What is certain in life?
– Death
– Taxes
• What is certain in research?
– Measurement error
– Missing data
• Missing data can be:
– Due to preventable errors, mistakes, or lack of foresight by the
researcher
– Due to problems outside the control of the researcher
– Deliberate, intended, or planned by the researcher to reduce cost or
respondent burden
– Due to differential applicability of some items to subsets of respondents
– Etc.
 Ways to deal with missing data
• Carry-forward analysis
• Last observation carry-forward (LOCF)
 What is SPSS?

• Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS)

• One of the most popular statistical packages which

can perform highly complex data manipulation and
analysis with simple instructions
 Opening SPSS
• Start → All Programs → SPSS Inc→ SPSS 16.0 →
SPSS 16.0
 Opening SPSS
• The default window will have the data editor
• There are two sheets in the window:
1. Data view 2. Variable view
 Data View window
• The Data View window
This sheet is visible when you first open the Data Editor and
this sheet contains the data
• Click on the tab labeled Variable View

Click
 Variable View window

• This sheet contains information about the data set that is stored with
the dataset
• Name
– The first character of the variable name must be alphabetic
– Variable names must be unique, and have to be less than 64 characters.
– Spaces are NOT allowed.
 Variable View window: GENDER Type
• Type
– Click on the ‘type’ box. The two basic types of variables that
you will use are numeric and string. This column enables you
to specify the type of variable.
 Variable View window: Width

• Width
– Width allows you to determine the number of
characters SPSS will allow to be entered for the
variable
 Variable View window: Decimals
• Decimals
– Number of decimals
– It has to be less than or equal to 16

3.14159265
 Variable View window: Label
• Label
– You can specify the details of the variable
– You can write characters with spaces up to 256
characters
 Variable View window: Values
• Values
– This is used and to suggest which numbers
represent which categories when the variable
represents a category
Variable View window: Values
Variable View window: Values
Variable View window: Measure
Variable View window: NAME
Variable View window: HEIGHT
Data View window-All 3 Variables
Data View window:
Data entry of Gender
Data View window:
COMPLETE DATA
 Saving the data
• To save the data file you created simply click ‘file’ and
click ‘save as.’ You can save the file in different forms by
clicking “Save as type.”

Click
SPSS Exercise
 Exercise-1
• How would you put the following information into
SPSS?
Name Gender Height
JAUNITA 2 5.4
SALLY 2 5.3
DONNA 2 5.6
SABRINA 2 5.7
JOHN 1 5.7
MARK 1 6
ERIC 1 6.4
BRUCE 1 5.9

Value = 1 represents Male and Value = 2 represents Female

Exercise-2
Exercise-3
THANK YOU