STATISTICS

STS-101
 Definitions
• Statistics: is a field of study concerned
with:
– The collection, organization, summarization,
and analysis of data and
– The drawing inferences about a body of data
when a part of data is observed
 Sources of Data
Data is the raw material of statistics, Data is
used to answer a question, Sources of data
are:
• Routinely kept records (hospital medical records)
• Surveys (information about mode of pt. transportation)
• Experiments (best strategy for pt. compliance)
• External sources (Published reports)
 Common terms used in statistics
• Population
• Sample
• Variables
• Measurements
• Statistical Inference
• Simple random sample
 Population
• Population is the largest collection of entities for
which we have an interest at a particular time.
(Weights of all new born babies in a hospital)
• Population of values is the largest collection of
values of a random variable for which we have an
interest at a particular time.
– Finite population (values consist from fixed numbers)
– Infinite population (values consist of endless succession of values
 Sample
• Sample is a part of population. (weights of some
selected new born babies)
• There are different types of samples
• There are different types of sampling
techniques
 Variables
• A variable is a characteristic that takes
different values in different persons, places,
or things.
Examples of variables :
– diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, height of
adult males, weight of new borne babies, ages
of patients.
 Types of variables
• Quantitative variables: (weight, height, age, they convey
information regarding amount)
• Qualitative variables (Sick, diabetic, they convey information
regarding attribute)

• Random variable
– Discrete random variable (# of daily admissions,
represented by whole number)
– Continuous random variable (Height, weight, skull
circumferences)
 Measurement
Measurement is defined as the assignment of numbers to
objects or events according to a set of rules.
Measurement has different scales:
• Nominal scale (male - female; well-sick…mutually and collectively exclusive)
• Ordinal scale (observations can be ranked, low, medium , & high economic status)
• Interval scale ( distance between 2 measurements is known)
• Ratio scale (height, weight, & length, … there is zero point.)
 Statistical Inference
Statistical Inference is the procedure by which
we reach a conclusion about a population
on the basis of the information contained in
a sample that has been drawn from that
population.
 Simple random sample
If a sample of size n is drawn from a
population of size N in such a way that
every possible sample of size n has the
same chance of being selected, the sample
is called a simple random sample
 What is data?
Data are individual pieces of factual
information recorded and used for the
purpose of analysis. It is the raw information
from which statistics are created. Statistics are
the results of data analysis - its interpretation
and presentation. In other words some
computation has taken place that provides
some understanding of what the data means.
 Why Statistics? Examples
• Which drugs should be allowed on the market?
• What Public Health programs should be pursued?
• What programs would reduce infant mortality?
• Are cell phones a good idea for drivers?
• Is it a good idea for post-menopausal women to
take estrogen?
Looking at data: categorical or continuous?
Most data fall into two broad classes.
Continuous data are used to report a measurement of the
individual that can take on any value within an acceptable range.
For example, age, systolic BP, [K+], change in weight over 6
months.
Categorical data are used to report a characteristic of the
individual that has a finite, usually small number of possibilities.
The categories should be clear cut, not overlapping, and cover all
the possibilities. For example, sex (male or female), vital status
(alive or dead), disease stage (depends on disease), ever smoked
(yes or no).
Make sure you are very clear about the definitions. Does “one
cigarette and I didn’t inhale” count as smoking?
When designing a study, allow for missing values and refusals.
 Measures of central tendency
Measures of central tendency tell you in some sense where
you might expect a “typical” person to be, in the middle
of the data.
• The mean is the arithmetic average. For example, if 3
people were in hospital 8, 10 and 30 days respectively,
the mean time is 48/3 = 16 days.!
• The median is the value at which half the numbers are
higher and half are lower. If number of individuals is
odd, it is the middle value (rank (n+1)/2) and if number
is even, it is average of two middle values.!.
• The mode is the most common value; rarely used
Mean Calculation
 Measures of dispersion
• Range
• Variance
• Standard