Course Introduction
Course Code: BME 2207
Course Title: Biostatistics
Course Teacher:
Md. Rabiul Islam
Faculty of Biomedical Engineering
Defining the Statistics
Statistics is a field of study concerned with
(1) the collection, organization, summarization, and
analysis of data; and
(2) the drawing of inferences about a body of data
when only a part of the data is observed.
Defining Biostatistics
The tools of statistics are employed in many fields—
business, education, psychology, agriculture, and
economics, to mention only a few.
When the data analyzed are derived from the
biological sciences and medicine, we use the term
biostatistics to distinguish this particular application
of statistical tools and concepts.
Defining Biostatistics
According to the Oxford Journal of Life Sciences,
Mathematics and Physiological Science, Biostatistics
is a field whose primary goal is “to advance
statistical science and its application to problems of
human health and disease, with the ultimate goal
of advancing the public’s health”.
The course at a glance
Elementary biometry
Variables
Descriptive statistics and probability
Probability and Sampling Distributions
The course at a glance
Estimation
Hypothesis Testing
Analysis of Variance
Chi square Distribution and Analysis of frequency
Some Basic Concepts
Data
The raw material of statistics is data. For our purposes we may
define data as numbers. The two kinds of numbers that we use
in statistics are numbers that result from the taking—in the usual
sense of the term—of a measurement, and those that result
from the process of counting.
For example, when a nurse weighs a patient or takes a patient’s
temperature, a measurement, consisting of a number such as
150 pounds or 100 degrees Fahrenheit, is obtained.
Sources of Data
The performance of statistical activities is motivated by the need to
answer a question. For example, clinicians may want answers to
questions regarding the relative merits of competing treatment
procedures. Such data are usually available from one or more of the
following sources:
1. Routinely kept records
2. Surveys
3. Experiments
4. External sources
Defining Information
The words Data and Information may look similar and
many people use these words very frequently, But
both have lots of differences between them.
what is data: Data are plain facts. The word "data" is
plural for "datum." When data are processed,
organized, structured or presented in a given context
so as to make them useful, they are called
Information.
Defining Information
Information is data that has been processed in such a
way as to be meaningful to the person who receives
it. it is any thing that is communicated.
Data is the raw material that can be processed by
any computing machine. Data can be represented in
the form of: Numbers and words which can be stored
in computer's language Images, sounds, multimedia
and animated data
Needs of Information
Information is needed to:
• To gain knowledge about the surroundings, and
whatever is happening in the society and universe.
• To keep the system up to date.
• To know about the rules and regulations and bye
laws of society, local government, provincial and
central government, associations, clients etc. as
ignorance is no bliss.
• Based on above three, to arrive at a particular
decision for planning current and prospective actions
in process of forming, running and protecting a
process or system
Knowledge
Human mind purposefully organized the information and evaluate it
to produce knowledge. In other words the ability of the person recalls
or uses his information and experience is known as knowledge. For
example, "386" is data, "your marks are 386" is information, and "It is
result of your hard work" is knowledge.
The relationship between data, information and knowledge is shown.
Types of Knowledge
Facts based or Information based Knowledge: The
knowledge gained from fundamentals and through
experiments. The knowledge is derived from the information
contained in fundamental science derived from
experiments, rules, regulations commonly agreed by
experts.
Heuristic Knowledge: It is knowledge of good practice,
experience and good judgment like hypothesis. It is the
knowledge underlying "expertise", rules of thumb, rules of
good guessing, that usually achieves desired results but do
not guarantee them.
Population
The average person thinks of a population as a
collection of entities, usually people.
A population or collection of entities may, however,
consist of animals, machines, places, or cells.
For our purposes, we define a population of entities as
the largest collection of entities for which we have an
interest at a particular time.
If we take a measurement of some variable on each
of the entities in a population, we generate a
population of values of that variable.
Sample
A sample may be defined simply as a part of a
population. Suppose our population consists of the
weights of all the elementary school children enrolled in a
certain school system. If we collect for analysis the
weights of only a fraction of these children, we have only
a part of our population of weights, that is, we have a
sample.
A sample of people or things is a number of them chosen
out of a larger group and then used in tests or used to
provide information about the whole group.
Variables
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❑ A variable is a property or object that
takes on different values. When a concept
can be measured and there is possibilities of
happening different result then it can be
called as variable.
❑A variable is something that varies.
Researchers attempt to understand how
and why differences in one variable are
related to differences in another variable.
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Concept, Indicator and Variable
Concept, Indicator and Variable
are related with each other.
➢Concept is a mental image or
perception or idea which
meanings can be varied individual
to individual.
➢Indicator is a factor which is the
basis of concept measurement.
➢Variable is the value of indicator in
a certain condition.
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Example of concept, indicator and
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variable
Concept: Rich
Indicator: Income, Assets
Variable: Income per year ($30,000)
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Types of Variable
Variables can be classified from three dimension
Causal relationship
Study design
Unit of measurement
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Types of variables based on
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Causal relationship
When we measure the relationship among
variables then four types of variables can be
faced by the researcher:
1. Independent variable/ Change variable
2. Dependent variable/ Outcome variable
3. Extraneous variable/Affecting variable
4. Intervening variable/Connecting variable
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➢Independent variable: is the variable that is
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responsible for bringing change in a certain result.
➢Dependent variable: is the outcome of independent
variable. If any change occurs in independent
variable that bring the changes in dependent variable.
➢Extraneous variable: is variable other than
independent variable but affect the dependent
variable.
➢Intervening variable: the variable that links the
independent and dependent variables.
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Types of variables based on Study Design
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Active variable: Those variables that can be
manipulated, change or controlled.
Attribute variable: Those variables that cannot be
manipulated, change or controlled and that reflect the
characteristics of study population.
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Types of variables based on Unit
of Measurement
Categorical or Qualitative variable: The value of this
variable takes place within a certain category and this
variable is measured on nominal and ordinal scale of
measurement.
Categorical variable can be classified again into three
types;
i. Constant variable
ii. Dichotomous variable
iii. Polytomous variable
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Types of variables based on Unit of
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Measurement………….
Continuous variable or Quantitative variable:
The value of this variable takes place in any
position of the scale used to measure it and the
value of this variable is numerical.
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Types of variables based on Unit of
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Measurement………….
Dichotomous variables are nominal variables
which have only two categories or levels.
For example, if we were looking at gender, we
would most probably categorize somebody as
either "male" or "female". This is an example of a
dichotomous variable.
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Types of variables based on Unit of
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Measurement………….
A polytomous variable is a variable with more
than two distinct categories, in contrast to a
dichotomous variable. In principle, any continuous
variable or any interval or ratio variable with more
than two observed values is a polytomous
variable.
Examples of polytomous data include blood type
(A, B, AB, O,…)
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