BIOSTAT LESSON 1: Introduction to Biostatistics and Variables Inferential: Increase of demand for masks in 2020 due to the pandemic

1.2 Biostatistics
1. STATISTICS
- the science of making sense of information and data around us
a. Statistic – measure of a characteristic or attribute of a group of
people or a sample population
b. Statistics – branch of mathematics that involves the collection,
analysis, interpretation, presentation & organization of data that
will eventually lead to the practical utilization and translation of
data to meaningful and purposive actions or deeper and
broader appreciation of realities
1.1 General Usage
1. in Plural sense: it is used to refer to a set of data or a mass of
observation
- branch of applied statistics directed towards application in the health
sciences and biology
- an innovative field that involves the design, analysis, and interpretation of
data for studies in public health and medicine, to arrive at conclusions about
disease and health risks by evaluating and applying mathematical statistical
formula to the factors that impact health
1.3 Applications of Biostatistics:
1. Tool in decision-making processes
- different people make decisions in different ways, some based on intuition,
on past experience, or on existing information
- an information-based decision making process invariably needs the
application of Biostatistics

ex: Public Health: quantitative data needed as basis for planning, monitoring, 2. Development of new drugs or vaccines
and evaluation of health services, which includes: 3. Investigation in the development of disease
4. Integral part of the foundation upon which the expertise of health
Vital Statistics: data on vital events like number of deaths, births, and administrators, planners and public health practitioners in general rests
marriages 5. Problem identification, assessment, allocation of funds and evaluation of
Health Statistics: cover a wide variety of numerical information on morbidity programs
(causes and frequency of illness)
PLANNING → MONITORING → EVALUATION → DECISION
2. in Singular sense:
it refers to the body of methods/techniques for the organization and analysis 1.4 Major Division of Statistics:
of collected information 1.4.1 Mathematical Statistics
- study and development of statistical theory and methods in the abstract
1.1.2 Two Branches of Statistics
1.1.2.1 Descriptive Statistics 1.1.2.2. Inferential Statistics 1.4.2 Applied Statistics
- refers to the different methods - methods in order to make - application of statistical methods to solve real problems involving
applied in order to summarize and generalizations and conclusions randomly generated data and the development of new statistical methodology
present data in a form that will about a target population based on motivated by real problems
make them easier to analyze and results from a sample, includes
interpret estimation of parameters and the
1.5 Basic Steps
testing of hypotheses
1. Making observations ie gathering of data
- methods of tabulation, graphical
presentation, computation of - getting meaningful data from 2. Generating a underlying law and order suggested by the data
averages, measures of variability presented data hypothesis
3. Deciding how to test what critical data is required
- summarizing and presenting data the hypothesis
4. Experimenting or observing; leads to an inference that either rejects
or affirms the hypothesis

2.0 DATA
- observations made on particular elements of a sample or population that are either
measured or observed through a process of collection for the purpose of analysis
- could be quantities or attributes of a sample population that are either measured or
observed
Descriptive: Quarterly sales for masks in 2020 is increasing while sale for
2023 is decreasing 2.0.1 Primary and Secondary Data
 Primary Data (Field Researchers) Secondary Data (Desk Researchers) 3.2.0 Types of Variables
- collected from the original source first - collected for another purpose in 1. Dependent variables
hand specifically for the purpose in mind mind - measured to see whether the treatment or manipulation of the independent
2.1 Constant and Variables variable has an effect
2.1 Constant: - a result of manipulation after association with the independent/moderator
- a phenomenon whose values remain the same from person to person, from variables
time to time, or from place to place - also called outcome variables
- has fixed value or definite value
eg. the pull of gravity, months in a year, minutes in an hour, speed of light 2. Independent variables
- inputs of the study that cannot be manipulated in descriptive research but can
can be derived from the physical rather than the biological be manipulated in experimental research
- variable manipulated to examine its impact on the dependent variable
2.2 Variable: - AKA causal variable
- phenomenon whose values or categories cannot be predicted with - already inherent in the individual, cannot be changed
certainty
- entity that can take on different values eg the effects of smoking to the development of pulmonary disease
- information which changes in value from one observation to the other effects of smoking cause pulmo disease

eg weight, attributes to certain issues, educational attainment, age of

gestation, blood pressure

we assign variables to understand specific characteristics of a population we

are studying

3.1 Types of Data

3.1.1 Quantitative Data
- data that can be measured (quantified) can be written down numerically

3.1.1.1 Classification of Quantitative Data

1. Discrete
- count that can’t be made more precise, typically involve integers
(whole numbers)
- sets of data that record actual, physical things
- categories can be measured and ordered according to amount
eg # of patients admitted, # of students in a class

2. Continuous
- information that can be counted are expressed with infinite
degrees of precision 3. Moderator variables
- can be reduced to lower units (fractions and decimals) - have a contingent effect on the
- may take any value, within a defined range relationship between the
eg height 160 cm, weight 150.5 lbs, fasting blood sugar of 120 independent and dependent
mg/dL variables
- may or may not influence the
3.1.2 Qualitative Data independent or dependent variables
- descriptive data, difficult to measure or count and cannot be written down - AKA: confounding variables,
numerically secondary input variables, or control
- can be counted but mathematical operations could not be applied variables
eg severity of disease – light, moderate, severe

3.2 Types of Data as to LEVEL/SCALE OF MEASUREMENT

in the process of distinguishing variables, process of measurement is to be done

3.2.1 Nominal Data

- neither measurable nor ranked but simply categorized or classified
- simplest and crudest form of measurement
eg gender (male or female), race (white, black, Asian, etc), types of bacteria
(coccus, bacillus, mycoplasma, spirillum)

2 Groups of Nominal Scale

1. Nominal-Renaming – occurs when each object in the set is assigned a
different number
eg number on the back of a football player

2. Nominal-Categorical – occurs when objects are grouped into

subgroups and each object within a subgroup is given the same number
- subgroup must be mutually exclusive, that is, an object may not
belong to more than one category or subgroup
eg based upon political party preference (Republican, Democrat, etc)

3.2.2 Ordinal Scale

- natural ordering that fall into a logical sequence (severity of an adverse event:
slight, moderate, or severe) or an agreement scale/Likert scale (strongly
disagree, disagree, no opinion, agree, strongly agree)

3.2.3 Interval Scale/Data 3.2.4 Ratio Data/Scale

- numerical measurement between 2 - numerical value of a ratio
numbers is a meaningful measure of the variable is directly proportional to
amount of difference in what the how much there is of what you
variable represents are measuring
- can be whole numbers or integers - can be in decimal form
a value of zero is completely arbitrary a true zero point; zero means
and does not denote the complete there’s nothing at all
absence of what you’re measuring
ex: ex:
1. 0 degrees Celsius – arbitrary because it 1. 0.00 pesos in bank account
does not represent the total absence of 2. blood creatinine values: 0.45
temperature, it simply means this is the mg/dL
temperature at which water freezes (0 deg
C = 32 deg F)
2. Transmutation of grades in a Korean
Math lesson/Kumon
0 = perfect 100
1= 90
2 = 80
3 = 70
...

Note: it is important to distinguish the type of variable one is dealing with

because it is one of the major determinants of the type of statistical technique
that can be most appropriately applied to the data