Biostatistics, Coursework Example

The paradigm of public health involves several steps, which include; defining the problem, measuring the magnitude of the problem, understanding the key determinants, then develop prevention and intervention strategies and set priorities. The set policies are then implemented and evaluated. Quantitative methods like epidemiology and biostatics are vital investigations used in public health. They combine biostatics and epidemiology, with epidemiology defined as the understanding of development of disease and the methods used to uncover etiology, treatment of disease and progression. The tools and methods of biostatics facilitate decision-making (Hebel & McCarter, 2006).

Epidemiology covers health determinants and distribution, or injury affecting human populations and how this study can be applied to health control. Examples include the Cohort study meant to investigate the link between mobile phone usage and a brain tumor development.

Biostatics is a science involving variation of biological data to obtain reliable results and make useful conclusions. Such applications of biostatics to biological science problems include determination cancer incidences and trends via the computing age. This involves calculation of statistical measures involved in development of a brain tumor, as a result of mobile phone usage, where several quantifying variables used to highlight the relationship between the quality of life, and use of Cox-2 inhibitors.

Such quantitative methods are so vital in the public health sector. They are used to generate a hypothesis based on observations, scientific rationale or anecdotal evidence derived from previous studies. These hypotheses include the risk of lung cancer development being constant for the previous five years, mobile phone usage association with brain tumor development and Vioxx increasing the risk of heart problems (Kanchanaraksa & Diener-West, 2008).

These methods play a great role in public health by survey study used to establish the extent of disease in a given population, surveillance analysis designed to detect or monitor diseases and observational studies used to scrutinize the association between exposure and non-exposure to a given disease.

Having acquired such knowledge and skills, I can be able to apply them in monitoring of disease epidemics in the society. This should be facilitated by collection of accurate data and numerical facts and making observations.

Reference

Hebel, J. R. & McCarter, R.J. (2006). A Study Guide to Epidemiology and Biostatistics. 6^th Ed. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Kanchanaraksa, S. & Diener-West, M. (2008). Biostatistics and Epidemiology within the Paradigm of Public. Retrieved 26.05.2011 from http://ocw.jhsph.edu/courses/FundEpi/PDFs/Lecture1.pdf