POPULATION AND SAMPLE

DR. AMAN ULLAH

B.SC. MEDICAL LAB. TECHNOLOGY
PH.D. MICROBIOLOGY
LECTURER OF LABORATORY SCIENCES, KHYBER MEDICAL UNIVERSITY,
PAKISTAN
INTRODUCTION

• Research workers in the early 19th century endeavored to

survey entire populations
• This feat was tedious, and the research work suffered
accordingly
• Current researchers work only with a small portion of the
whole population (a sample) from which they draw
inferences about the population from which the sample was
drawn
POPULATION

• In research, a population includes all members of a defined

group that we are studying for data driven decisions
• A population is an entire group about which some
information is required to be ascertained
• When we hear the word population, we typically think of all
the people living in a town, state, or country
• This is one type of population, In research, the word takes
on a slightly different meaning
POPULATION

• We can have population of heights, weights, BMIs,

hemoglobin levels, events, outcomes etc.
• Population is well defined with explicit inclusion and
exclusion criteria
• In selecting a population for study, the research question
or purpose of the study will suggest a suitable definition of
the population to be studied, in terms of location and
restriction to a particular age group, sex or occupation
TARGET POPULATION

• Any inferences from a sample refer only to the defined population

from which the sample has been properly selected i.e. target
population
• For example, if in a sample of lawyers from Peshawar High Court it is
found that 5% are having alcohol dependence syndrome
• Can we say that 5% of all lawyers all over the world are alcoholics?
• Obviously not, as the lawyers of PHC may be an institution by
themselves and may not represent the global lawyers′ community
SAMPLES

• It is often impractical to study an entire population, so we

often study a sample from that population to infer
information about the larger population as a whole
• Typically, the population is very large, making a census or a
complete enumeration of all the values in the population
impractical or impossible
• A sample is any part of the fully defined population
SAMPLES

• A sample is a set of data collected and/or selected from a

population by a defined procedure
• The sample represents a subset of manageable size
• A syringe full of blood drawn from the vein of a patient is a
sample of all the blood in the patient's circulation at the
moment
• Similarly, 100 patients of schizophrenia in a clinical study is
a sample of the population of schizophrenics
SAMPLES

• Samples are collected and

statistics are calculated
from the samples so that
one can make inferences
or extrapolations from the
sample to the population
SAMPLING METHODS

• Sampling involves the selection of a number of study units

from a defined study population
• Study unit: The unit on which the observations will be
collected
• Several methods have been devised to select
representative samples
• In general two types of techniques of sampling are as
follows:
a) Non-probability sampling methods
NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

1. Convenience sampling: is a method in which for convenience

sake the study units that happen to be available at the time of
data collection are selected
2. Quota sampling: is a method that insures that a certain number
of sample units from different categories with specific
characteristics appear in the sample so that all these
characteristics are represented
• In this method the investigator interviews as many people in each
category of study unit as he can find until he has filled his quota
NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

3. Purposeful sampling strategies for qualitative

studies: Qualitative research methods are typically used
when focusing on a limited number of informants, whom
we select strategically so that their in-depth information
will give optimal insight into an issue about which little is
known

Non-probability sampling methods do not claim to be

representative of the entire population
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

• They involve random selection procedures to ensure that

each unit of the sample is chosen on the basis of chance
• All units of the study population should have an equal or at
least a known chance of being included in the sample
1. Simple Random Sampling (SRS):
• This is the most basic scheme of random sampling
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

• To select a simple random sample you need to: Make

a numbered list of all the units in the population from
which you want to draw a sample
• Each unit on the list should be numbered in sequence
from 1 to N (Where N is the Size of the population)
• Select the required number of sampling units, using a
“lottery” method or a table of random numbers
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

2. Systematic Sampling: Individuals are chosen at regular

intervals (for example, every 5th, 10th, etc.) from the
sampling frame
• Ideally we randomly select a number to tell us where to
start selecting individuals from the list
• e.g. a systematic sample is to be selected from 1000
students of a school
• The sample size is decided to be 100
• Sampling fraction is: 100/1000 = 1/10
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

• The number of the first student to be included in the

sample is chosen randomly by picking one out of the first
10 students
• If number 5 is picked, every 10th student will be included in
the sample, starting with student number 5, until 100
students are selected
• Students with the following numbers will be included in the
sample: 5,15, 25, 35,45, . . . , 985, 995
• Systematic sampling can be conducted without a sampling
frame
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

3. Stratified sampling: If it is important that the sample

includes representative groups of study units with specific
characteristics (for example, residents from urban and
rural areas)
• Then the sampling frame must be divided into groups, or
strata, according to these characteristics
• Random or systematic samples of a predetermined size will
then have to be obtained from each group (stratum)
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

4. Cluster sampling: When a list of groupings of study units is

available (e.g. villages, etc.) or can be easily compiled, a
number of these groupings can be randomly selected
• The selection of groups of study units (clusters) instead of the
selection of study units individually is called cluster sampling
• Clusters are often geographic units (e.g. districts, villages) or
organizational units (e.g. clinics)
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

5. Multistage sampling
• Sometimes, a strictly random sample may be difficult to obtain
and it may be more feasible to draw the required number of
subjects in a series of stages
• For example, suppose we wish to estimate the number of
CTSCAN examinations made of all patients entering a hospital in
a given month in KP
• It would be quite tedious to devise a scheme which would allow
the total population of patients to be directly sampled
PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHODS

• However, it would be easier to list the districts of the KP and randomly draw a
sample of districts
• Within sample of districts, all the hospitals would then be listed by name, and
a random sample of these can be drawn
• Within each of these hospitals, a sample of the patients entering in the given
month could be chosen randomly for observation and recording
• Thus, by stages, we draw the required sample
• If indicated, we can introduce some element of stratification at some stage
(urban/rural, gender, age)
 QUESTIONS/SUGGESTIONS
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