PUBH5001 Introductory Biostatistics

6

Online

Core

1

This unit of study is offered by the School of Public Health and provides students with an introduction to statistical concepts, their use and relevance in pubic health, including:

• Summarising and displaying data; sampling
• Probability distributions
• Sampling distribution of the mean
• Confidence interval and significance tests for one-sample and paired continuous data, a proportion and paired binary data, two independent proportions, and the means of two independent samples
• Correlation and simple linear regression
• Distribution-free methods for two independent samples, two paired samples and correlation
• Sample size estimation
• Statistical aspects of study design and analysis
• Implementing methods using statistical software

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

• Summarise statistical data using tables, graphs and appropriate summary statistics
• Interpret significance tests and confidence intervals
• Compare two samples using the t test for continuous variables and the chi-squared test for categorical data, in both paired and unpaired cases, calculate confidence intervals for the main results, and summarise the conclusions from such an analysis
• Compare two samples using non-parametric tests, in both paired and unpaired cases, and summarise the conclusions from such an analysis
• Analyse the association between two variables using scatter plots, parametric and non-parametric measures of correlation and simple linear regression
• Calculate the sample size required for simple studies
• Create a statistical analysis plan detailing the major steps in the statistical design and analysis of a study
• Use statistical software to present and analyse data

There is no assumed knowledge for this unit of study.

Assessment of the Introductory Biostatistics unit of study will include:

• Individual assignment (30%)
• Formative assessment (optional)
• Formal open-book examination (70%)*

*The final examination for this unit of study will be held at the University of Sydney. A student who participates in an online tutorial group may nominate an alternative venue and supervisor for this exam, but will need to make appropriate arrangements for supervision, based on criteria provided by the School. The venue and arrangements must meet the requirements of the School. If these requirements cannot be met, the student will be required to attend the final examination at the University of Sydney.

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• Dr Petra Macaskill