Page Tools:
  • print-friendly version

Essentials of Biostatistics in Public Health

Author(s): Lisa M. Sullivan, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health
Details:
  • ISBN-13: 9780763756208
  • Paperback    232 pages      © 2008
Price: International Sales $95.95 US List
Add to Cart Request a Review Copy

Overview

Instructor Resources: Instructor's Manual, PowerPoints, TestBank, Sample Syllabus, Answer Key

Drawing on the author’s remarkable clinical experiences with the Framingham Heart Study, Essentials of Biostatistics in Public Health provides a fundamental and engaging background for students learning to apply and appropriately interpret biostatistical applications in the field of public health.

With a presentation style that is clear and straightforward, the text uses examples that are real, relevant, and manageable in size so that students can focus on applications rather than become overwhelmed by computations. This text is just one offering in Jones and Bartlett's unique new Essential Public Health Series.

Features:

  • Perfect for students with very little mathematical background.
  • Focus is on important and timely public health problems.
  • Features data from the Framingham Heart Study – the most widely recognized study of risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
  • For each topic, methodology—including assumptions, statistical formulas, and appropriate interpretations of results—are thoroughly discussed.
  • Includes sections on study design and sample size computation.
  • Includes an introduction to multivariable statistical methods that is accessible to first year students.
  • Includes statistical computing use Excel or manual calculations.
     

This text comes bundled with: Essentials of Biostatistics Workbook: Statistical Computations Using Excel.

ShowTable of Contents

1. Introduction
1.1 What is Biostatistics?
               1.2 What are the Issues?
1.3 Summary
 
2. Study Designs
2.1 Vocabulary
2.2 Observational Study Designs
       2.2.1 The Case Report/Case Series
       2.2.2 The Cross-Sectional Survey
       2.2.3 The Cohort Study
       2.2.4 The Case-Control Study
  2.2.5 The Nested Case-Control Study
2.3 Experimental Study Designs
       2.3.1 The Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) or Clinical Trial
       2.3.2 The Crossover Trial
2.4 The FraminghamHeart Study
2.5 More on Clinical Trials
2.6 Sample Size Implications
2.7 Summary
2.8 Practice Problems
 
3. Quantifying the Extent of Disease
3.1 Prevalence
3.2 Incidence
3.2.1 Problems Estimating Cumulative Incidence
3.2.2 Person-Time Data
3.2.3 Incidence Rate
3.3 Relationship Between Prevalence and Incidence
3.4 Comparing the Extent of Disease Between Groups
3.4.1 Risk Difference, Attributable Risk
3.4.2 Risk Ratio, Relative Risk, Odds Ratio, Rate Ratio
             3.4.2.1  Issues with Person-Time Data
3.5 Summary
3.6 Practice Problems
 
4. Summarizing Data Collected in the Sample
4.1  Dichotomous Variables
     4.1.1  Descriptive Statistics for Dichotomous Variables
     4.1.2  Bar Charts for Dichotomous Variables
4.2  Ordinal and Categorical Variables
4.2.1  Descriptive Statistics for Ordinal and Categorical Variables
4.2.2  Histograms for Ordinal Variables
4.2.3  Bar Charts for Categorical Variables
4.3  Continuous Variables
4.3.1  Descriptive Statistics for Continuous Variables
4.3.2  Box-Whisker Plots for Continuous Variables
4.4  Summary
4.5  Practice Problems
 
5. The Role of Probability
5.1  Sampling
5.2  Basic Concepts
5.3  Conditional Probability
       5.3.1  Evaluating Screening Tests
       5.3.2  Sensitivity and Specificity
       5.3.3  Positive and Negative Predictive Value
5.4  Independence
5.5  Bayes Theorem
5.6  Probability Models
5.6.1  A Probability Model for a Discrete Outcome: The Binomial Distribution
5.6.2  A Probability Model for a Continuous Outcome: The Normal Distribution
5.6.3  Sampling Distributions
5.7  Summary
5.8  Practice Problems
 
6. Confidence Interval Estimates
6.1 Introduction to Estimation
6.2 Confidence Intervals for One Sample, Continuous Outcome
6.3 Confidence Intervals for One Sample, Dichotomous Outcome
6.4 Confidence Intervals for Two Independent Samples, Continuous Outcome
6.5 Confidence Intervals for Matched Samples, Continuous Outcome
6.6 Confidence Intervals for Two Independent Samples, Dichotomous Outcome
       6.6.1   Confidence Intervals for the Risk Difference
       6.6.2   Confidence Intervals for the Relative Risk
       6.6.1   Confidence Intervals for the Odds Ratio
6.7 Chapter Summary
6.8 Practice Problems
 
7. Hypothesis Testing Procedures
7.1 Introduction to Hypothesis Testing
7.2  Tests with One Sample, Continuous Outcome
7.3  Tests with One Sample, Dichotomous Outcome
7.4  Test with One Sample, Discrete Outcome
7.5  Tests with Two Independent Samples, Continuous Outcome
7.6  Tests with Matched Samples, Continuous Outcome
7.7  Tests with Two Independent Samples, Dichotomous Outcome (Risk Difference, Relative Risk,  Odds Ratio)
7.8  Tests with More Independent Samples, Continuous Outcome
7.9  Tests with Two or More Independent Samples, Discrete Outcome
7.10 Summary
7.11 Practice Problems
 
8. Power and Sample Size Determination
8.1 Issues in Estimating Sample Size for Confidence Intervals Estimates
  8.1.1  Sample Size for One Sample, Continuous Outcome
       8.1.2  Sample Size for One Sample, Dichotomous Outcome
       8.1.3  Sample Sizes for Two Independent Samples, Continuous Outcome
       8.1.4  Sample Size for Matched Samples, Continuous Outcome
       8.1.5  Sample Sizes for Two Independent Samples, Dichotomous Outcome
8.2 Issues in Estimating Sample Size for Hypothesis Testing
  8.2.1  Sample Size for One Sample, Continuous Outcome
       8.2.2  Sample Size for One Sample, Dichotomous Outcome
       8.2.3  Sample Sizes for Two Independent Samples, Continuous Outcome
       8.2.4  Sample Size for Matched Samples, Continuous Outcome
       8.2.5  Sample Sizes for Two Independent Samples, Dichotomous Outcome
8.3 Summary
8.4 Practice Problems

9. Multivariable Methods
9.1 Confounding and Effect Modification
9.2   Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel Test
9.3  Introduction to Regression Analysis
9.4  Multiple Linear Regression Analysis
9.5  Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis
9.6  Summary
9.7  Practice Problems
 
Workbook(s)
Student solutions manual
Statistical computing using MS Excel

 


Back to top

ShowAbout the Author(s)

Lisa M. Sullivan, PhD-Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health

 

Lisa Sullivan has a PhD in Statistics and is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is also Associate Dean for Education.  She teaches Elementary Biostatistics for MPH students and lectures in biostatistical methods for clinical researchers.  Lisa is the Principal Investigator of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood’s Summer Institute in Biostatistics which is designed to promote interest in the field of biostatistics and expose students to the many exciting career opportunities available them.  Lisa is the recipient of numerous teaching awards including the Norman A. Scotch award and the prestigious Metcalf Award, both for excellence in teaching at Boston University.  In 2008 she won the Associations for Schools of Public Health/Pfizer Excellence in Teaching Award.  Lisa is also a biostatistician on the Framingham Heart Study working primarily in developing and disseminating cardiovascular risk functions.  She is active in several large scale epidemiological studies for adverse pregnancy outcomes and in multidisciplinary research projects in prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, autism, cardiovascular disease and emergency medicine.  Her work has resulted in over 160 peer-reviewed publications.
Additional Titles by this Author

Back to top

ShowSamples & Additional Resources

ShowResources

Back to top