- Section 1 The development of the discipline of public health
- Section 2 Determinants of health and disease
- Section 3 Public health policies, law, and ethics
- Section 4 Information systems and sources of intelligence
- Section 5 Epidemiological and biostatistical approaches
- 5.1 Epidemiology: the foundation of public health
- 5.2 Ecological variables, ecological studies, and multilevel studies in public health research
- 5.3 Cross-sectional studies
- 5.4 Principles of outbreak investigation
- 5.5 Case–control studies
- 5.6 Cohort studies
- 5.7 Methodology of intervention trials in individuals
- 5.8 Methodological issues in the design and analysis of community intervention trials
- 5.9 Community intervention trials in high-income countries
- 5.10 Community-based intervention trials in low- and middle-income countries
- 5.11 Clinical epidemiology
- 5.12 Genetic epidemiology
- 5.13 Validity and bias in epidemiological research
- 5.14 Causation and causal inference
- 5.15 Systematic reviews and meta-analysis
- 5.16 Statistical methods
- 5.17 Measuring the health of populations: the Global Burden of Disease study methods
- 5.18 Mathematical models of transmission and control of infectious agents
- 5.19 Public health surveillance
- 5.20 Life course epidemiology and analysis
- Section 6 Social science techniques
- Section 7 Environmental and occupational health sciences
- Section 8 Major health problems
- Section 9 Prevention and control of public health hazards
- Section 10 Public health needs of population groups
- Section 11 Public health functions
(p. 613) Statistical methods
- Chapter:
- (p. 613) Statistical methods
- Author(s):
Gail Williams
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199661756.003.0119
This chapter provides an introduction to statistical methods with illustrative examples from public health and epidemiological research. The chapter begins by distinguishing between a study sample and a target population. It goes on to outline different methods of sampling, including probability and non-probability sampling methods. In the following section, the distributions of epidemiological variables are considered, leading on to discussion of probability distributions and statistical inference. Methods for comparing data from two or more groups are then outlined, including methods for continuous and categorical variables. Analysis of time-to-event data to evaluate survival times is then outlined. The final section of the chapter discusses the application of multivariable models to epidemiological data, including extensions of basic models to more complex data distributions. The chapter concludes by cautioning that increasing ease of access to sophisticated statistical methods may increase the risk of erroneous application. There is little substitute for consulting a qualified statistician, particularly with complex designs.
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- Section 1 The development of the discipline of public health
- Section 2 Determinants of health and disease
- Section 3 Public health policies, law, and ethics
- Section 4 Information systems and sources of intelligence
- Section 5 Epidemiological and biostatistical approaches
- 5.1 Epidemiology: the foundation of public health
- 5.2 Ecological variables, ecological studies, and multilevel studies in public health research
- 5.3 Cross-sectional studies
- 5.4 Principles of outbreak investigation
- 5.5 Case–control studies
- 5.6 Cohort studies
- 5.7 Methodology of intervention trials in individuals
- 5.8 Methodological issues in the design and analysis of community intervention trials
- 5.9 Community intervention trials in high-income countries
- 5.10 Community-based intervention trials in low- and middle-income countries
- 5.11 Clinical epidemiology
- 5.12 Genetic epidemiology
- 5.13 Validity and bias in epidemiological research
- 5.14 Causation and causal inference
- 5.15 Systematic reviews and meta-analysis
- 5.16 Statistical methods
- 5.17 Measuring the health of populations: the Global Burden of Disease study methods
- 5.18 Mathematical models of transmission and control of infectious agents
- 5.19 Public health surveillance
- 5.20 Life course epidemiology and analysis
- Section 6 Social science techniques
- Section 7 Environmental and occupational health sciences
- Section 8 Major health problems
- Section 9 Prevention and control of public health hazards
- Section 10 Public health needs of population groups
- Section 11 Public health functions