Essentials of Biostatistics in Public Health / Edition 3

by Lisa M. Sullivan

Overview

Essentials of Biostatistics in Public Health, Third Edition provides a fundamental and engaging background for students learning to apply and appropriately interpret biostatistics applications in the field of public health.

Many examples are drawn directly from the author’s remarkable clinical experiences with the renowned Framingham Heart Study, making this text practical, interesting, and accessible for those with little mathematical background. The examples are real, relevant, and manageable in size so that students can easily focus on applications rather than become overwhelmed by computations.

The Third Edition offers a new chapter on data visualization and interpretation including guidance on reporting statistical results in tables, figures and text. Examples of well-organized, detailed and appropriately formatted tables and figures are provided along with samples of how best to interpret them. Examples of poorly organized tables and figures are also included to illustrate common misinterpretations of results, due in part to lack of clarity in presentation.

The text comes packaged with an access code card that gives your students access to an online workbook for statistical computing using Microsoft Excel. The online workbook is available in both Mac and PC versions.

Updates to the Third Edition:
• New chapter on data visualization and interpretation
• New “When and Why” sections in each chapter include timely examples of important medical and public health applications of biostatistical techniques to help students connect the technical aspects of how specific analyses are conducted to real and relevant applications. New suggestions for instructors to facilitate in-class discussions around these applications and their interpretation are included in the instructor resources
• New examples from widely publicized clinical trials and from relevant and timely studies added throughout.
• New integrative exercises included in the instructor resources that allow students to practice biostatistical analysis with real data using Excel.
• New link to a publicly available, longitudinal dataset containing data collected in the Framingham Heart Study

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781284108194
Publisher:	Jones & Bartlett Learning
Publication date:	02/28/2017
Edition description:	3
Pages:	378
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Professor and former chair, Department of Biostatistics, Associate Dean for Education, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Study Designs
Chapter 3 Quantifying the Extent of Disease
Chapter 4 Summarizing Data Collected in the Sample
Chapter 5 The Role of Probability
Chapter 6 Confidence Interval Estimates
Chapter 7 Hypothesis Testing Procedures
Chapter 8 Power and Sample Size Determination
Chapter 9 Multivariable Methods
Chapter 10 Nonparametric Tests
Chapter 11 Survival Analysis
Chapter 12 Data Visualization

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Furqan Khattak, MD (East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine)
Description: This book describes the fundamental concepts used in public health research including epidemiology of diseases, study designs, and statistical methods. The author is a renowned biostatistician with a strong background in teaching biostatistics and mines her experience with the Framingham study to provide examples and illustrations.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide an overview of biostatistical methods used in public health. The book uses step-by-step guidance to understanding, applying, and interpreting biostatistical methods. It will help users master widely used biostatistical methods through reading and practice, and develop critical thinking in applying these methods.
Audience: Beginner level students in biostatistics including graduate students, clinician scientists, and public health researchers are the intended audience.
Features: The 12 chapters include a beginner-level introduction to biostatistics and study designs and explanations of key concepts in data collection, presentation, and data analysis. One chapter demonstrates data presentation in the form of tables and figures. Each chapter begins with delineation of key questions in the form of "when and why" and relevant learning objectives, followed by concise descriptions of the concepts and methods, and finishing with a chapter summary. The end of each chapter affords students an opportunity to apply the knowledge they've gained by practicing on real-life data using Excel spreadsheets. Throughout the book, the author uses examples from the Framingham study. Tables and graphs are simple yet meaningful. The appendix contains useful statistical tables students can use to quickly obtain critical values. The glossary provides a nice recap of statistical terms and concepts presented in the book.
Assessment: This will be an excellent resource for students, clinicians, and researchers who are looking for a clear and concise book on basic and advanced statistical methods. The use of real-life data for illustration and practice makes this an interesting and ideal book for those who want to improve biostatistical skills through hands-on practice. This book is strongly recommended for graduate level students as well as clinicians interested in pursuing a career in public health research.

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