Introduction and Descriptive Statistics
INTRODUCTION
The word statistics conveys a variety of meanings to people in different walks of life.
To some, it is a form of mathematics containing tables, charts and figures commonly found
in newspapers, journals, books, reports and classroom lectures.
To others, statistics means gathering information about any group, activity or process such
as production, population or national income that is expressed in numbers.
Statistics has two meanings:
1. Facts and figures such as health statistics, trade statistics and business statistics.
2. A body of knowledge called statistical methods used for handling data in research and
experiments.
Examples of numerical information include:
• There are 933 females per 1000 males.
• For every 400 students there is only one book written and published in India every year.
• Population density increased from 267 persons in 1991 to 324 persons per square
kilometer in 2001.
• Literacy rate increased from 18.33% in 1951 to 64.84% in 2001.
Numbers play an important role in statistics and form the raw material for statistical
analysis.
Statistics helps refine numerical and non-numerical information into meaningful data.
DEFINITIONS
The root of the word statistics comes from the Italian word 'statista' meaning statesman
and the German word 'statistik' meaning political state.
The term was first used by Gottfried Achenwall to describe the subject as a whole.
Statistics can be defined as numerical data involving variability and the treatment of such
data.
Croxton and Cowden defined statistics as the collection, presentation, analysis and
interpretation of numerical data.
Professor Horace Secrist defined statistics as the aggregate of facts affected by many causes,
numerically expressed, collected systematically for a predetermined purpose and placed in
relation to each other.
Therefore, statistics is the study of techniques and procedures used for data collection,
classification, summarization, analysis and interpretation.
Biostatistics refers to the application of statistics in health sciences such as biology,
medicine, nursing, public health, dentistry, pharmacy and physical therapy.
USES OF STATISTICS
• Presents facts in a definite form.
• Facilitates comparisons.
• Simplifies large masses of figures.
• Helps in formulating and testing hypotheses.
• Helps in prediction.
APPLICATIONS OF STATISTICS IN HEALTH SCIENCES
• Defining normal and abnormal conditions related to health and illness.
• Establishing the accuracy of diagnostic procedures.
• Planning experiments and analyzing results.
• Studying the natural history of diseases including signs, symptoms and course.
• Assessing treatment protocols and interventions used in patient care.
• Collection, analysis and dissemination of population health statistics.
TERMS RELATED TO STATISTICS
Data: A set of values recorded on observational units or factual information collected during
research studies.
Qualitative Data: Variables that categorize individuals based on qualities or characteristics
such as gender, occupation, marital status and education.
Quantitative Data: Variables that can be measured numerically such as height, weight, blood
pressure, serum cholesterol and body temperature.
Discrete Data: Data expressed in whole numbers such as number of children in a family or
pulse rate.
Continuous Data: Data that can take fractional values such as height, weight and body
temperature.
Parameters: Characteristics of a population such as the average age of nurses in a region.
Parametric Tests: Statistical tests that assume a particular distribution of variables.
Non-Parametric Tests: Statistical tests that do not assume a strict distribution of variables.
SCALES OF MEASUREMENT
Measurement is the assignment of numbers to objects according to specific rules to
represent the quantity of an attribute.
Four levels of measurement:
1. Nominal
2. Ordinal
3. Interval
4. Ratio
NOMINAL LEVEL MEASUREMENT
• The lowest level of measurement.
• Numbers represent categories or classes.
• Categories are different but have no quantitative value.
• Categories are mutually exclusive.
Examples:
Gender – Male, Female
Habitat – Urban, Rural, Slums
ORDINAL LEVEL MEASUREMENT
• Ranks objects based on their relative position.
• Order is imposed on categories.
• Numbers represent order but not equal intervals.
Examples:
Health Status – Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
Income Status – Low income, Middle income, Upper income