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Basic Statistics and Epidemiology: A Practical Guide (5th Edition)

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DOI: 10.1080/00401706.2022.2126657

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 Technometrics

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/utch20

Basic Statistics and Epidemiology: A Practical

Guide (5th Edition)
by Antony Stewart, CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, 2022, xi + 204 pp.,
$99.00 (HB), ISBN: 9780367708153

Firdous Ahmad Mala

To cite this article: Firdous Ahmad Mala (2022) Basic Statistics and Epidemiology: A Practical
Guide (5th Edition), Technometrics, 64:4, 578-579, DOI: 10.1080/00401706.2022.2126657

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578 BOOK REVIEWS
ing reading in a compendium of mathematical gems for solving
numerous problems. It serves to anyone interested in history of
mathematical thought particularly and human development in
general from ancient to modern civilization.
References
Lipovetsky, S. (2013), “Paradoxes in Probability Theory, by W. Eckhardt,”
Technometrics, 55, 377. [577]
(2016), “Mathematical Card Magic: 52 Two New Effects, by C.K.
Mulcahy,” Technometrics, 58, 529. [577]
(2018), “Math Tools: 500+ Applications in Science and Arts, by G.
Glaeser,” Technometrics, 60, 263–264. [577,581]
(2022a), “Probability, Choice, and Reason, by L.V. Williams,” Tech-
nometrics, 64, 149–150. [577]
(2022b), “Math and Art: An Introduction to Visual Mathematics,
by S. Kalajdzievski,” Technometrics, 64, 425–426. [577]
Stan Lipovetsky
Minneapolis, MN
Basic Statistics and Epidemiology: A Practical Guide
(5th Edition), by Antony Stewart, CRC Press, Taylor and
Francis Group, 2022, xi + 204 pp., $99.00 (HB), ISBN:
9780367708153.
This is the fifth and the latest edition of the book. After
its fourth edition in 2016, the author is back, after more than
half a decade, with yet another edition of this straightforward
primer in basic statistics that primarily focuses on the practical
use of statistics in epidemiology and public health. One of
the most appealing part of the book is the fact that it does
not call for any prior knowledge on the part of the readers.
Unnecessary details have been given the widest possible berth,
and clarity and conciseness have been exercised throughout the
book. At the very outset, in the preface to the book, the author
clarifies about the book, “It is aimed at people who want to
grasp the main issues with minimum fuss. With this in mind,
the avoidance of too much detail has been an important goal.”
(p. ix)
The book comprises of 23 very brief chapters, and that too in
merely just over 200 pages. Some of the chapters are extremely
brief and, unfortunately, do not contain sufficient information
that would satiate a voracious reader.
The book has a single-page first chapter titled, “What is
statistics?”. The author, then, discusses populations and samples,
random sampling and presentation of data using pie charts, bar
diagrams, histograms and scatterplots in the next three brief
chapters.
The fundamental concepts of frequencies, percentages, pro-
portions, and ratios are the subject matter of the fifth chapter.
This is followed by a chapter that discusses the various types of
data, such as categorical data and numerical data.
The next two chapters concern themselves with measures of
central tendencies, such as mean, mode, median and centiles.
Measures of dispersion and standard error is the subject-matter
of the next two chapters, that is the 9th and the 10th chapters.
A very brief discussion of the normal distribution can be
found in the 11th chapter, followed by chapters on confidence
intervals, probability, hypothesis testing and the t-test.
Chapters 16 through 20 discuss data checking, parametric
and nonparametric tests, correlation and linear regression, anal-
ysis of variance and the Chi-square test. No doubt the discus-
sions are very brief and seem rather inadequate, yet they are
highly helpful, especially to a first-timer. The next two chapters
discuss statistical power, sample size and effect size.
After 22 rapid-fire chapters that account for two-thirds of the
entire book the author introduces the notion of epidemiology in
a one-page 23rd chapter of the book. Bias and confounding is
discussed in the next chapter, followed by one more on measur-
ing disease frequency. Unlike most other chapters, this chapter
has been discussed at decent length. It includes concepts such as
incidence, prevalence and standardization.
Measuring association in epidemiology, including measur-
ing absolute risk, relative risk, attributable risk, population
attributable risk, odds ratio and causality have been discussed
in the immediate next chapter. Then, the readers are explained
the concept of cross-sectional studies that are conducted to
examine the prevalence of a specific condition at a specific point
in time. The advantages and the disadvantages of conducting
cross-sectional studies have also been brought to the fore.
Questionnaires, cohort studies, case-control studies and
randomized control trials are brought forth in the next three
chapters using well-drawn block diagrams. Wherever relevant
and feasible, the author has included the advantages-and-
disadvantages section for bringing to light the scope and the
limitations of the concepts.
Screening and evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) is the sub-
ject of the last two chapters of the book. EBHC is a systematic
approach to clinical problem solving which permits the integra-
tion or bringing together of the best available research evidence
with regards clinical expertise and patient values.
The book contains a glossary of terms, three appendices, a
section on references, one on further readings and an index.
Appendix 1 contains statistical tables, the normal distribution,
the t-distribution and Chi-square tables. Appendix 2 contains
fifteen exercises so that the learners could gauge the level of
their understanding, exercise 15, in particular, is a compendium
of 30 multiple choice questions aimed at testing the statistical
and epidemiological understanding that is supposed to have
taken place via a thorough reading of the book. Appendix 3
contains solutions of all the 15 problems/questions discussed in
Appendix 2. Further readings seem to have been suggested to
compensate for the surprising briefness of the book.
The book has already had five editions, the fifth being the
latest. Concerning what is new in the latest edition, several addi-
tional exercised have been included in the fifth edition. Whereas
the fourth edition of the book contained 12 judiciously chosen
exercises, three more have been added to the latest edition. The
book has an accompanying website, and extra material has been
provided for the accompanying website of the book in its latest
edition.
The book should not be passed for being a self-contained
comprehensive exposition of statistical knowledge needed for
an in-depth understanding of epidemiology and public health
concerns. However, the lucid and accessible style of the book and

its brevity is very likely to attract much recognition and wider
reach.
Firdous Ahmad Mala
Government Degree College Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2023-8529
Stochastic Processes with R: An Introduction, by O.
Korosteleva, Boca Raton, FL: Chapman and Hall, CRC Press,
2022, x + 190 pp., $99.95, ISBN 978-1032153735.
This book is useful for simulating Markov chains, Poisson
processes, and Brownian motion. The book can be used as
supplementary reading for a first course in stochastic processes
at the undergraduate-graduate level. Datasets and R code can
be obtained from the book’s webpage (https://home.csulb.edu/~
okoroste/stochprocesses.html), and there is a solutions manual for
instructors. The book is interesting, but short in that much of the
material is R code and examples.
Chapter 1 discusses discrete-time Markov chains, and Chap-
ter 2 covers variants of the integer valued simple random walk
where each variant is a special case of a Markov chain. Chapter
2 also shows how to simulate two and three-dimensional ran-
dom walks. Chapters 3–6 consider the (homogeneous) Poisson
process, nonhomogeneous Poisson process, compound Poisson
process, and conditional Poisson process. Chapter 7 considers
birth-and-death processes as a type of a continuous Markov
chain, and Chapter 8 covers branching processes as a type of a
Markov chain. Chapter 9 covers Brownian motion. Each chapter
starts with definitions and theory for the stochastic process,
then gives simulations and applications using R, and ends with
exercises. Some of the applications are quite interesting.
Competitors include Dobrow (2016), which covers similar
topics plus stochastic calculus, and Ross (2019) which discusses
many stochastic processes but does not use R.
David J. Olive
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
References
Dobrow, R. P. (2016), Introduction to Stochastic Processes with R, Hoboken,
NJ: Wiley. [579]
Ross, S. M. (2019), Introduction to Probability Models (12th ed.), San Diego,
CA: Academic Press. [579]
All the Math You’ll Ever Need: A Self-Teaching Guide
(3rd Edition), by Carolyn C. Wheater and Steve Slavin,
USA: Jossey-Bass, 2022, 336 pp., $25.00 (PBK), ISBN:
9781119719182.
The authors are back with the third edition of the book after
catching dozens of errors in the second edition that had some-
how made it into the first edition. The book is a self-teaching
View publication stats
TECHNOMETRICS 579
guide that aims to cover all of the math you’ll ever need but may
not know.
Because it appears unlikely that you will return to your
elementary school and begin learning all of the math concepts
all over again, this book can be a lifesaver. Those who have
succumbed to calculators can now savor the taste of doing all
the calculations themselves by relearning the fundamentals of
counting and arithmetic, among other things.
The book covers a wide range of topics, including multiplica-
tion, division, geometry, business problems, algebra, numerous
word problems, and statistics. The concepts are not only easily
described, but also enriched with a large number of relevant and
enriching problems. Everything is exquisitely detailed and intel-
ligently balanced. Numerous self-testing activities are included
to encourage readers to actively engage with the book’s content.
Surprisingly, according to the authors, far too many Ameri-
cans lack fundamental mathematical literacy. Even college stu-
dents are not immune from criticism and struggle with simple
arithmetic sums. In its 24 chapters, the book offers a cure-all for
all basic mathematics ailments.
The authors create everything from the ground up. After
explaining the purpose of the book in a one-page first chapter,
Getting Started, the subsequent three chapters cover the funda-
mentals of addition, multiplication, and division. The authors
have dedicated an entire chapter, Mental Math, to faster multi-
plication, faster division, and other mental math tricks, includ-
ing several divisibility tests. Positive and negative numbers, frac-
tions and decimals, converting fractions and decimals, ratios
and proportions, and problem solving are all covered in detail,
in the subsequent chapters.
Arithmetics is not the only concern of the book. The authors
have addressed the readers’ fundamental geometric require-
ments in two distinct subsequent chapters, Area and Perimeter
and Circumference and Area. Aside from fractions, percentages
can be difficult to master, and so, a separate chapter, Percentages,
has been added for this purpose. Given the widespread fear
of math and equations, chapter 15, Solving Simple Equations,
makes an attempt to address this specific need.
If you have made it this far as a reader, you’re already
sufficiently enriched and equipped to tackle more involved
and advanced topics in elementary mathematics. And that is
precisely what the authors have done. Chapters 16 through
18, Powers and Roots, Very Large and Very Small Numbers
and Algebra Problems, discuss, among many other things,
concepts such as squares, square roots, cubes, cube roots, and
the concept and arithmetic of millions, billions, trillions and
beyond.
Chapter 19, Interest Rates, discusses the very important
day-to-day concepts of simple and compound interests and
discounting and is followed by a chapter on Rate, Time and
Distance. The subject matter of the next chapter, Personal
Finance, is very engaging. It discusses concepts such as sales
tax, credit cards, federal income tax and mortgage interest and
taxes.
All of us need mathematics. Mathematics is simply inevitable
at times. The subject of the next chapter, Business Mathematics,
is one type of mathematics that all businesspeople are concerned
with. It helps the reader understand and calculate things like
commissions, chain discounts, and profit.