IDE7205: Biostatistics

This course on biostatistics will cover important topics in biostatistical concepts and reasoning for field epidemiology. The course recognises the fact that Students are coming from various science backgrounds and the possibility that they are at various levels of understanding and application of biostatistics. The objective is to bring all Students to the same level of biostatistical reasoning and competences by the end of the course. Therefore, the first week of the course will cover the fundamentals of biostatistics including review of applicable definitions, descriptive statistics such as central tendency and variability in data. In the subsequent weeks, the course will cover methods for performing inference on population means and proportions via sample data; statistical hypothesis testing and its application to group comparisons; issues of power and sample size in study designs; and random sample and study types. Overall, the course will advance analysis, meaning of analysis outputs and presentation of data for communication to various audiences.  
 
Aim  
The primary aim of this course is to train Students to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and competences on biostatistics geared towards field epidemiology. 
 
Course Objectives  
By the end of this course, the Students will be able to: 

• Define the principal concepts about biostatistics. 

1. Recognise the definition of statistics, its subject and its use in relation with other sciences. 
2. Restate the principals and concepts of biostatistics. 

• Collect data relating to variable(s) which will be examined and calculate descriptive statistics from these data. 

1. Identify data relating to variables. 
2. Understand the different sampling techniques in research. 
3. Identify convenient sample by using sampling theory. 

• Identify distribution form relating to the variable(s). 

1. Normal distribution. 
2. Interpret data. 
3. Define principal concepts of probability. 
4. Recognise binomial distribution. 
5. Interpret data via binomial distribution. 

• Apply hypothesis testing via some of the statistical distributions.  

1. Designs comparing means and proportions from one or two populations 
2. Define some concepts about hypothesis testing. 
3. Apply hypothesis testing to data through these concepts. 
4. Arrange results of hypothesis testing and make a statistical decision. 
5. Statistical software: use and application. Such as STATA Statistical Software for: 
6. Data analysis. 
7. Infectious disease statistical modelling. 

Expected course outcome 
Application of acquired understanding, knowledge, skills and competences in: 

• Data Collection, collation and cleaning 
• Exploratory Data Analysis 
• Estimation of effect 
• Testing 
• Modelling