Understanding Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Biostatistics

application of statistical techniques to interpret data in biological, medical, and health sciences

Epidemiology

investigates how health-related events are distributed across populations

Population

entire group under study in biostatistical analysis

Sample

smaller, manageable subset of the population that is selected for analysis

Variable

any characteristic of attribute that can be measured, such as height, weight, or blood pressure

Data

encompasses the collected observations used in analyses, which can be categorized into quantitative and qualitative

Descriptive Statistics

provide simple summaries about the sample and the measures (mean, median, mode)

Inferential Statistics

allow researchers to make inferences based on sample data (hypothesis testing and confidence intervals)

Focus areas of epidemiology

understanding the distribution of health-related states

Core aim of epidemiology

disease prevention, health promotion, and guidance of public health policies.

Incidence

number of new cases of a disease occurring in a specific population during a defined time period

Prevalence

total number of cases of a disease, both new and existing, within a population at the specific point in time.

Morbidity

presence of illness or disease within a population

Mortality

rate of death within a population

Risk factor

attribute, characteristic, or exposure that increases the likelihood of developing a disease