Biostatistics

Orientation and Introduction to

Biostatistics
Lesson 1 : Origin and Development
Overview of Lesson 1:
• Statistics is relevant to all areas such as Biology, Medicine and Health Sciences.
Biostatistics is the branch of applied statistics that concerns the application of
statistical methods to medicine and biological problems.
• Statistical methods are important to draw valid conclusions from the obtained data.
This lessons provides background information related to fundamental methods and
techniques in statistics for the use of college students. Main focus is given to types of
data, measurement of central variations and basic tests, which are useful for analysis
of different types of observations. Few parameters like normal distribution, calculation
of sample size, level of significance, null hypothesis, indices of variability, and different
test are explained in detail by giving suitable examples. Using these guidelines, we are
confident enough that college students will be able to classify distribution of data
along with application of proper test. Information is also given regarding various free
software programs and websites useful for calculations of statistics. Thus, college
students will be benefitted in both ways whether they opt for academics, health
science or for industry.
 Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students are
expected to :
• Discuss the background and development of
biostatistics.
• Identify the fields of contributions of statistics.
• Appreciate the importance and uses of
biostatistics in research and in health sciences.
 Presentation and Development of the Lesson

• Statistical information and development can be

traced back from ancient times. People compiled
statistical data with regard to all sorts of things
such as agricultural crops, taxes, athletic events,
commerce and trade and so on. As time went by,
statistical work has continued to have a marked
influence on the activities of mankind in a wider
scope from describing important features of the
data and analyzing theme.
• Statistics is the science of conducting studies that collect,
organize, summarize, analyze, and draw conclusion from
data. Statistic is used in almost all fields of human
endeavor. In public health, a doctor may be interested with
a number of residents in an area who contract a new strain
of flue virus in a certain number of months. In education, a
researcher might want to know if new methods of teaching
are better than the traditional ones. In sports, a statistician
may keep record of the number of hits a basketball player
gets in a season of games. In business, a car dealer may
look at past sales records for a specific month to decide
what types of automobiles and how many of each type to
order for that month of next year.
• Statistics is relevant to all areas such as
Biology, Medicines and Health sciences.
Biostatistics is the branch of applied statistics
that concerns the application of statistical
methods to medicine and biology problems. It
is the analysis of data derived from biology
sciences and medicine. Experiments is
Biosciences are generally carried out to give
quantitative or numerical answers to
investigate question.
• The present state of the science and art of statistic is an outcome of the very
active researches of the statisticians during the past 400 years. An Englishman
John Graunt in 1662 observed that percentages of death from suicides, accidents
and various diseases remained remarkable constant throughout the year.
Notable contributor in the development of statistics were Abraham de Moivre
who discovered the equation of the normal distribution in 1773 and Carl Gauss
who made its derivation from study of errors in repeated measurements which
he called it Gaussian distribution. Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) and Karl
Pearson (1857-1936) developed the theory of regression and correlation. Adolf
Quetelet, a Belgian is referred to as the Father of Modern Statistics. He
considered statistics as the queen of the sciences, until some authors have
defined it more technically to serve the branches of knowledge , the common
characteristics has been the multiple definitions that have been witten about the
subject. He established a commission of statistics which became a model for
many organizations of statisticians. William S. Gosset developed the small –
ample theory and further developed by Sir Ronald Fisher in the 20th Century.
The latter’s contributions has had a great impact on contemporary statistical
procedures.
 DEFINITION AND USES OF STATISTICS
One of the ways to appreciate what is being studied is to know its
origin and how it developed and helped mankind. Statistics as a
field of knowledge proved so much in the world as a very powerful
tool in almost all fields of work. It can be found in the field of
sciences, in business and economics, in education, politics,
psychology and in research.

• In social sciences, particularly in the field of education and

psychology, statistics is an indispensable tool.
• In education, the school administration and staff, the faculty and
the students use statistics as a tool in performance of their
respective functions and responsibilities.
• In psychology, statistical methods are used to analyze
and interpret data on intelligence test scores, aptitude
tests, personality test ratings, entrance examinations.
etc. for the better understanding of the individual
tested, and for better administration and management.
• In government, statistics provides the various
government agencies organized and systematic records
of data needed in the formulation of national policies for
the betterment of the nations' well being.
• In research, many scientific investigations produce large
quantities of raw data that are overwhelming and
difficult to interpret hence, statistical tool are employed.
 Generalization of the Lesson
• In general, uses of statistics may be described by the following statements:
1. What kind of outcome can statistics predict?
• experiment or the behavior of individual.
2. What can statistics be used for?
• Statistics are the sets of mathematical equations that we used to analyze
the things. It keeps us informed about, what is happening in the world
around us. ... They use their statistical skills to collect the relevant data.
Otherwise, it results in a loss of money, time and data.
3. Can statistics predict the future?
• When used correctly, statistics tell us any trends in what happened in the
past and can be useful in predicting what may happen in
the future. Statistics make it possible for us to make fairly
accurate predictions with small groups of data.
Question:

If you have a 1 million pesos, what is the first

thing you want to invest and why? How are you
going to apply statistics and research on this
matter?