Introduction of Biostatics

Zaira Soloman
Post RN (BScN), RM
(Lecturer)

January 16, 2016

Objective

After the end of this lecture

you all will be able to:

1.

Define statistics and biostatistics.

Know the history of biostatistics.
Differentiates its type.
Understand the limitation of
biostatistics.
Describe the aims of biostatistics.
Learn the statistical terms

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

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Statistics
It

is the study of methods and

procedures for collection,
classification, analysis and
interpretation of data to make
scientific inference from it.
The term has been derived
from the Latin word status,
the Italian word statistica and
the German word statistik.

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Biostatistics and
Biometry
Biostatistics

is the application of
statistical methods to the problem of
biology, including human biology,
medicine and public health.

Statistical

methods including the

Collection

Organization
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Conti

Summary-classification

Analyzing and measurements of facts to

reach some inference.

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Biostatistics

also called

BIOMETRY

(literally mean
biological measurement)

The

word biometry has Greek

origin
( bios means life and
metron means measured).

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Brief History
1)Adolph Quetelet (1796-1874)

A Belgian mathematician, is
thought to use the statistical
methods for the 1st time in his work
and applied them to the problem of
biology, medicine & sociology.

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2) Francis Galton (1822-1911)

A cousin of Charles Darwin is called
the Father of Biostatistics and
Eugenics he made notable
contribute in the field of heredity
3. Karl Pearson (1857-1936)
applied Statistical methods in the
demonstration of natural selection and laid the
foundation for descriptive and correlation
statistics.

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4) W.F.R Weldon (1860-1906)

A zoologist at university Collage, London.
The Term biometry was coined by him.

5) Ronald A. Fisher(1890-1962)
The dominant figure in statistics and
biometry in 19th century has been done by
him. His major contribution is small
sample theory are used in almost all the
fields of science.

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Types of Biostatics
Biostatistics

can be divided into two

subcategories.

1. Descriptive

Biostatistics
2. Inferential Biostatics

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1. Descriptive Biostatistics
It

is the study of biostatistics

procedure which deal with the

Collection
Representation
The summarizing of data to make it more
informative and comprehensible.

It

involves graphical and

tabular approaches to
describe, summarize and
analyze the data.
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Conti..
The

primary function of
descriptive statistics is to
provide meaningful and
convenient techniques for
describing feature of data that
are of interest.
The failure to choose appropriate
descriptive statistics often lead
to faulty scientific inference.

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Conti..
The

field of descriptive statistics is not

concerned with the conclusions that can
be drawn from the set of data.
It is basically a device for organizing data
and bringing into focus their essential
characters for the purpose of conclusion.

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2. Inferential Biostatics
Process

of drawing information from

sampled observations of a population
and making conclusions about the
population.
Inferential statistics have a two-prong
approach.
1.

First, sampling must be conducted to be

representative of the underlying population

2.

Second, the procedures must be capable of

drawing correct conclusions about the
population.
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Limitations of the biostatistical

methods
It

can not be applied to all kind of

phenomena.
Statistical lows are not exact law like
mathematical or chemical.
Statistical data can be treated as
approximations or as estimation, not as
precise measurement.
Statistical techniques deals with the
quantitative data only.
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Conti.
The

technique is same for the social as

well as physical science.
Its only a tool and not an end itself.
The greatest limitation of statistic is that
only one who has a sound knowledge off
statistical methods can efficiently handle
statistical data.
Some errors are possible in statistical
decisions.

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Aims of biostatistics

Biostatistics is basically concerned with

three purposes:
To generate the statistical data through
experimental investigation and sample
survey.
To organize and represent the data in suitable
tables, diagrams, charts or graph, etc.
To draw valid inferences from the data
collected, predict the future outcomes from
the data.

STATISTICAL TERMS

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1. Population:
Ordinarily, the word population is used to
mean the number of people living in a
area, a region or a country.
But in statistical investigation, population
refers to any well defined group of
individual who are being studied of
observation of a particular type.

E.g.

All students in LNH could be a population.

All patient of a hospital suffering from Hepatitis
and treated with a new drug may be considered
as population.

2. Sample
A

sample is a group of units selected

from a larger group. A sample is
generally selected for study because
the population is too large to study in its
entirety. The sample should be
representative of the general
population.
Example
The population for a study of infant health might
be all children born in the UK in the 1980's. The
sample might be all babies born on 7th May in
any of the years.
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Type of Sampling:
Random

sample: It gives
every number of the
population an equal chance of
being selected. No one in the
population is favored over the
other in the selection process.

Biased

Sample or
Nonrandom Sample: Does
not provide equal opportunity
for all members of the
population of being selected.
Sample is drawn for a purpose.
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3. Unit
A

unit in a statistical analysis refers to

one member of a set of entities being
studied.
Unit is the smallest object or individual
that can be investigated as the source
of basic information, e.g. small sub
areas of land. individual patient, etc.
units are expressed in two ways:
Samplings

unite: During survey.

Experimental units : During experiment.

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4. Bias
Is

a systematic (built-in) error which makes all

measurements wrong by a certain amount.

Examples of Bias
The scales read "1 kg" when there is nothing
on them
You always measure your height wearing
shoes with thick soles.
A stopwatch that takes half a second to stop
when clicked

5. Accuracy
Accuracy

is how close a measured value is to

the actual (true) value.

6. Precision
Precision is how close the measured values
are to each other.
(If you measure something several times and
all values are close, they may all be wrong if
there is a "Bias)

Difference & Similarities

ACCURACY

PRECISION

Definition:

The degree of closeness

to true value.

The degree to which an

instrument or process
will repeat the same
value.

Measurements:

Single

Multiple measurements
are needed

About:

A term used in
measuring a process or
device.

A term used in
measuring a process or
device.

Uses:

Physics, engineering,
statistics etc.

Physics, engineering,
statistics etc.

Accuracy / Precision

Example

One can say that a measurement is accurate but not

precise; precise but not accurate; neither or both. An
example of bad precision and good accuracy can be:
Suppose a lab refrigerator holds a constant
temperature of 38.0 F.
A temperature sensor is tested 10 times in the
refrigerator.
The temperatures from the test yield the temperatures
of: 37.8, 38.3, 38.1, 38.0, 37.6, 38.2, 38.0, 38.0, 37.4,
38.3.
This distribution shows no impressive tendency toward
a particular value (lack of precision) but each value
does come close to the actual temperature (high
accuracy).

7. Date:

Data is a set of facts

expressed in quantitative
form.

It can be primary or secondary.

1.

The data collected by investigator from

personal experience is called primary
data.

2.

While the data obtained from some

secondary source such as journals,
magazines, news paper, etc.is known
as secondary data.

Univariate vs. Bivariate Data

Statistical

data are often

classified according to the
number of variables being
studied.

Univariate

data.

When we conduct a study that looks at

only one variable, we say that we are
working with univariate data. Suppose,
for example, that we conducted a
survey to estimate the average weight
of high school students. Since we are
only working with one variable
(weight), we would be working with
univariate data.
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Conti
Bivariate

data.

When we conduct a study that

examines the relationship
between two variables, we are
working with Bivariate data.
Suppose we conducted a study
to see if there were a relationship
between the height and weight
of high school students. Since we
are working with two variables
(height and weight), we would be
working with Bivariate data.

8.Parameter
A

parameter is a value, usually

unknown (and which therefore has to
be estimated), used to represent a
certain population characteristic.
For example, the population mean is a
parameter that is often used to indicate
the average value of a quantity.
Within a population, a parameter is a
fixed value which does not vary.

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Conti.
Each

sample drawn from the population

has its own value of any statistic that is
used to estimate this parameter.
For example, the mean of the data in a
sample is used to give information
about the overall mean in the
population from which that sample was
drawn.

Thank you