Pre-course Materials

Before you attend the seminar of Week 4, you ought to study the following topics thoroughly. You have the autonomy to choose the convenient resource for you to study these elementary statistical concepts; however, we highly recommend (StatisticsHowTo) of prof. Stephanie Glen from Jacksonville University (Jacksonville, FL) as the primary resource of studying elementary statistics.

1. Types of variables (StatisticsHowTo)
2. Summary numbers of central tendency: mean, median and mode (StatisticsHowTo)
3. Summary numbers of variability: variance (StatisticsHowTo)
4. Summary numbers of variability: standard deviation (StatisticsHowTo)
5. Summary numbers of variability: standard error (StatisticsHowTo)

Abstract

In this week, we will have a quick tour to biostatistics basics. In the beginning, we will learn what is the scientific hypothesis and how to formulate null and alternative hypotheses in biomedical research. After that, we will learn the common types of statistical tests and their use in the daily practice of epidemiology and clinical research. Later, we will learn how to measure the association between exposure (risk factor) and effect (disease) and how to decide which drug is more effective. Finally, we will learn about the different types of tables and graphs used in epidemiological studies. By the end of this week, you will not become a biostatistician of course, but you will be able to read scientific papers independently and understand what those numbers mean. 

Presentation

Resources

Please read the following references before fulfilling your homework assignment: 

1. (Required)

Book: Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice (3rd ed)
Author(s): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Lesson Four: Displaying Public Health Data - Sections One, Two, Three and Four

2. (Required)
Book: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) toolkit
Author(s): BMJ Publishing Group
Learn EBM - How to calculate risk

 3. (Required)
Video: Statistics made easy
Author(s): Global Health with Greg Martin

4. (Required)
Book: Basic Epidemiology (2nd ed)
Author(s): Ruth BONITA, Robert BEAGLEHOLE, and Tord KJELLSTRÖM
Chapter 4: Basic biostatistics - Pages: 69-74

Assignment (Repetition)

Please open this assignment and respond by December 6th, 2020 (23:59 CEST).
- This is a one-time log-in application, this means that you will not be able to open it more than once.
- The time limit for filling-in this assignment is 90 minutes.
- This week assignment consists of 15 questions (15 multiple-choice questions).