MPH5302 · Biostatistics: Concepts and applications

Overview

This unit introduces you to biostatistics as applied to public health and management studies. Biostatistics is the science of describing, summarising and analysing health-related data. It is essential to understand biostatistics in order to design, conduct and interpret health-related research. The basic principles and methods used in biostatistics are covered in this unit. This includes the technical qualifications necessary for analysing and interpreting data on a descriptive and bivariate level. Topics include: classification of health data; summarizing data using simple statistical methods and graphical presentation; sampling distributions, quantifying uncertainty in results from a sample; statistical distributions; comparing two/more groups/methods using confidence intervals and hypothesis tests (p-values); assessing the association between an outcome and an exposure using the chi-squared test; risk comparisons (RR & OR); prediction of an event or identifying risk factors for an event of interest where the event is measured on a continuous scale or a binary scale (yes/no); sample size calculations.

Areas of study: Public health Biostatistics

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Explain the importance of biostatistics in public health studies;
2. Classify data into appropriate measurement types;
3. Explain sampling concepts and the role of sampling errors;
4. Present data using relevant tables, graphical displays and summary statistics;
5. Formulate research hypotheses into a statistical context in public health studies;
6. Estimate quantities of interest and evaluate hypothesis with appropriate statistical methods;
7. Accurately interpret statistical methods and results reported in health publications;
8. Analyse data using a specific software package.

Workload

24 hours per week including directed and self-directed learning (including any asynchronous and synchronous tasks, prescribed activities and independent work).

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.