You will write the Executive Summary section or the beginning of your Strategic Audit Report. The opening section of your audit report can easily be the most important part of the audit, can grab a re

Module 1 - Home

Overview of Biostatistics and Descriptive Statistics

Modular Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to satisfy the following outcomes:

Case
- Describe the types of variables that can be analyzed in a study.
- Describe the difference between qualitative and quantitative data.
- Understand the response categories for qualitative and quantitative data.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how to use descriptive statistics to report background characteristics and risk factors.
SLP
- Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between binary, categorical, nominal, ordinal, and continuous variables
- Demonstrate proficiency in calculating descriptive statistics including proportions and mean.
Discussion
- Describe the difference between mean, median, and mode.
- Distinguish the measures of central tendency (median, mode, and mean).

Module Overview

Types of Variables and Data

There are two main types of variables collected in public health research: qualitative and quantitative. Variables that can be described as a numerical value or a category qualify as quantitative data. Qualitative data, on the other hand, is more descriptive and subjective. Questions may be open ended, or may use categories such as a Likert scale. The Likert scale asks responders to select the category that answers the question best, choosing from "most likely" to "likely" to "neither likely or unlikely" to "unlikely" and "most unlikely".

Quantitative variables fall under two main categories: categorical or continuous. Continuous variables may take on any value (e.g., age, weight, height), whereas categorical variables are grouped into specific classes (e.g., gender, ethnicity).

Data are most often presented using descriptive statistics. Categorical variables are introduced using proportions (%) and sample sizes (n). Continuous variables are most often described with mean and standard deviation, although a range can also be used in lieu of a SD. Examples of results table for descriptive statistics can be found in the required readings.

Descriptive Statistics for Entire Study Population:

StatTrek: One-Way Tables in Statistics. Retrieved from http://stattrek.com/statistics/one-way-table.aspx?Tutorial=Stat

Descriptive Statistics for Subpopulations (e.g., Study Population Divided by Gender or Disease Status)

StatTrek: Two-Way Tables in Statistics. Retrieved from http://stattrek.com/statistics/two-way-table.aspx?Tutorial=Stat