Biostatistics & Epidemiolog

Berhanu Teshome(MSc)
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
berteshome19@gmail.com

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3. Introduction to elementary sampling theory
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3. Introduction • Population and sampling

to elementary • Types of sampling
sampling • Probability sampling
theory
• Non-probability sampling

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 The concept of sampling
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Study population: You select a few sampling units Sample

Sampling units from the study population

You make an estimate

“prediction” extrapolated to the You collect information
study population from these people to
(prevalence, outcomes etc.) find answers to your
research questions.

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Sampling
Framework of statistical analysis
Randomly
population sampling sample
individual, variation representative, sampling error

Statistics
parameter known
Statistical
unknown inference based
on probabililty
Statistical Description

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 Sampling
The bigger the samples, the more representative to population

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What would be the mean systolic blood pressure of older subjects
(65+) in Addis Ababa?
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175
Population mean (μ)= unknown

165

180

155

From our sample we calculate an estimate of the population

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 Definition of some terms
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v Population
ü Is a complete set of elements that possess some common characteristic

ü Should be clearly and explicitly defined in terms of place, time, and other relevant criteria

Target Population
ü The entire group of people or objects to which the researcher wishes to generalize the study findings

v All people with AIDS

v Source Population
ü A subset of the target population

ü May be limited to region, state, city, or institution

v All people with AIDS in A.A.

v Study Population
ü A subset of the source population

ü Population from which the sample actually was drawn and about which a conclusion can be made.
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v All people with AIDS in A.A. satisfying the inclusion criteria
 Definition of some terms
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v Sampling Unit
ü The unit of selection in the sampling process

v Districts, Kebeles, HH, Persons…

v Study Unit
ü The unit on which the observations will be collected

ü Each and every element in your investigation

ü They are not necessarily the same as the sampling unit

v Districts, Kebeles, HH, Persons…

v Sample Design
ü The scheme (plan) for selecting the sampling units from the study population

v Sampling Frame
ü The list of each and every element in the study population from which the sample to be selected
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 Definition of some terms
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 A sample is “a smaller (but hopefully representative) collection of

units from a population used to determine truths about that
population” .

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 Definition of some terms
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§ Sampling is the process of selecting a representative sample from populations.

§ It Selecting cases (elements)—or locating people (or other units of analysis)—from a target population
in order to study the population.

sampling

Sample
I nfe re nc e
Population 11/3/2023
 Definition of some terms
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 Characteristics of Good Samples
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q Representation
 affceted by
 Sampling procedure
 Sample size
 Participation (response)

q Accessible
q Low cost

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 Sampling (How?)
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üIs the technique or procedure of selecting a sample from a population
ü Before selection we should answer the following three questions
v What is the group of people from which we want to draw the sample?
v How many people do we need in our sample?
v How will this people be selected?
v Advantages of Sampling
üCost - sampling saves time, labor and money.
üQuality of data - more time and effort can be spent on getting reliable data
on each individual included in the sample.

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 Methods of Sampling
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 Example: A new drug for hypertensions

 Individual?

 Population? infinite or finite?

 Sample?

 Result?

 Conclusion?

An important issue influencing the choice of the most appropriate sampling method is
whether a sampling frame is available, that is, a listing of all the units that compose the
study population.
There are two main types of sampling:
 Probability (random sampling): which is the best method that allows us to infer from the
sample drawn to the population
 Non-probability (Non-random sampling): do not claim to be representative
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population.
 Non-Probability Sampling Methods
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v Convenience Sampling
ü Study units are selected as they are available at the time of data collection, for the convenience of the
investigator
v Quota Sampling
ü is a method that insures that a certain number of sample units from different categories with specific
characteristics appear in the sample
v Purposeful Sampling
ü Strategies for qualitative studies when focusing on a limited number of informants

ü Study units will be selected by the judgment of the investigator if he/she thinks they are representatives of
the population under investigation
v Snow-ball sampling: If the first sample is selected by the investigator then the next individual is selected by
the first from the target group and it goes in similar fashion until the determined sample size has been gained .
ü This method is appropriate for critical, more of personal, rare and other subjects.
ü For instance; individuals like commercial sex workers, homosexuals, etc.
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N.B The above sampling methods do not claim to be representative of the entire population
 Probability Sampling Methods
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ü They involve random selection procedures to ensure that each unit of

the sample is chosen on the basis of chance
ü All units of the study population should have an equal or at least a
known chance of being included in the sample
ü There are different techniques under it
 The individuals are drawn independently.

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 Probability Sampling Methods
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Simple Random Sampling (SRS)

Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.
This is the most basic scheme of random sampling.
ü 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
– Decide on the size of the sample
– Select the required number of sampling units, using a “lottery” method or a table of random
numbers
Systematic Random Sampling
ü Individuals are chosen at regular intervals from the sampling frame
ü The sampling interval can be determined as K= N/n

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 Probability Sampling Methods
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Stratified Random Sampling

ü It is appropriate when the distribution of the characteristic to be studied is strongly affected by
certain variable (heterogeneous population).
ü The population is first divided into groups (strata) according to a characteristic of interest (eg,
sex, geographic area, prevalence of disease, economical status, etc.).
ü A separate sample is then taken independently from each stratum, by simple random or
systematic sampling.
ü Proportional allocation - if quota is given based on the size of the strata.

ü Equal allocation - if equal quota is given for each strata.

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 Probability Sampling Methods
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Cluster Random Sampling

ü When a list of groupings of study units is available (e.g. villages,
districts etc.) or can be easily compiled, a number of these groupings
can be randomly selected
ü The process of assuming a group of study units as single for simplicity
Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) Sampling
It is most useful when the sampling units vary considerably in size
ü To assures that those in larger sites have the same probability of getting
into the sample as those in smaller sites, and vice verse
ü But the same number of units has to be sampled from each cluster
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 Probability Sampling Methods
Multi-Stage Random Sampling
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ü This method is appropriate when the population is large and widely scattered

ü The number of stages of sampling is the number of times a sampling procedure is carried out

Sub-cities PSU

Woredas SSU

Ketena TSU

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HH
 Sampling error
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 Apparent difference between population mean and the random sample

mean that is purely due to chance in sampling is called the sampling
error
 Sampling error does not mean that a mistake has been made in the
process of sampling but variation experienced due to the process of
sampling
 Sampling error reflects the difference between the value derived from
the sample and the true population value
 The Only way to eliminate sampling error is to enumerate the entire
population
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