Application And Interpretation Of Public Health Data

MODULE 1

DQ1

Statistics is an important component of public health. Explain the relevance of statistics in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a health promotion intervention. How do you envision using statistics in your current or future career?

DQ2

Describe the difference between quantitative and qualitative methods. Explain how each are used in public health.

RESOURCES

Read Chapter 1 in Using and Interpreting Statistics: A Practical Text for the Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences.

View “The Human Insights Missing From Big Data,” by Wang (2016), located on the TED website.

URL: https://www.ted.com/talks/tricia_wang_the_human_insights_missing_from_big_data

Read “Statistics and Public Health at CDC,” by Sieber, Green, and Williamson (2006), located on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

URL:https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su5502a9.htm

View “Why You Should Love Statistics,” by Smith (2017), located on the YouTube website.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogeGJS0GEF4&feature=youtu.be

View the following terms in The Visual Learner: Statistics media.

Statistics
Data
Continuous Data
Discrete Data
Interval Level
Ordinal Data
Nominal Data
Population
Sample
Parameter
Statistic

URL: http://lc.gcumedia.com/hlt362v/the-visual-learner/the-visual-learner-v2.1.html

Read “Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Data in Mixed Methods Research – Challenges and Benefits,” by Almalki, from Journal of Education and Learning (2016).

URL: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1110464.pdf

SPSS Statistics will be used to complete some of the case study assignments for this course. Refer to “Using Citrix Workspace” in the GCU Technical Support Help Center for assistance with installing the Citrix Workspace App and preparing for SPSS files.

URL: https://support.gcu.edu/hc/en-us/articles/201144000-Using-Citrix-Workspace

After Citrix has been installed on your computer, you may access SPSS Statistics at https://myapps.gcu.edu.

Read “Quantitative and Qualitative Methods for Public Health,” from PH717 Module 1B – Descriptive Tools: Descriptive Epidemiology and Descriptive Statistics, located on the Boston University Medical Campus, School of Public Health website (2019).

URL: https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/PH717-QuantCore/PH717-Module1B-DescriptiveStudies_and_Statistics/PH717-Module1B-DescriptiveStudies_and_Statistics9.html

MODULE 2

DQ1

Frequency distributions can be graphed with bar charts, histograms or polygons. Choose one variable from the “Health Behavior Data Set” and discuss which type of graph is appropriate and why. Refer to section 2.3 in the Using and Interpreting Statistics: A Practical Text for the Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences textbook as needed for assistance.

DQ2

The mean, median, and mode are measures of central tendency. Explain why these measures are crucial to public health data analysis.

STUDY MATERIALS

Read Chapters 2, 3, and 5 (section 5.1) in Using and Interpreting Statistics: A Practical Text for the Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences. URL:

http://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/macmillan-learning/2016/using-and-interpreting-statistics_a-practical-text-for-the-behavioral-social-and-health-sciences_ebook_3e.php

Read “Data Collection for Program Evaluation,” located on the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice website (2019). URL: https://www.nwcphp.org/docs/data_collection/data_collection_toolkit.pdf

Read “Statistical Methods Used in the Public Health Literature and Implications for Training of Public Health Professionals,” by Hayat, Powell, Johnson, and Cadwell, from PLoS One (2017). URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5462407/

View the following tutorials from the SPSS Tutorials media.

Frequency Tables and Histograms
Descriptive Statistics

URL:https://www.gcumedia.com/lms-resources/student-success-center/v3.1/#/media-element/CHSS;CONHCP/1DF486B2-8C58-E811-B595-005056BDD6DE

View the following terms in The Visual Learner: Statistics media.

Confounding
Histogram

View the following calculations in The Visual Learner: Statistics media.

Frequency Distribution
Measure of Center “Mean”
Measure of Center “Median”
Measure of Center “Mode”
Range and Standard Deviation
Variance

URL: http://lc.gcumedia.com/hlt362v/the-visual-learner/the-visual-learner-v2.1.html

You will use Microsoft Excel for your assignment, and you will need to enable to Data Analysis ToolPak add-in. The “Enabling Data Analysis ToolPak” guide located on the GCU Technical Support website, contains instructions for the add-in for both PC and Mac.

URL: https://support.gcu.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360039768454-Excel-Add-ins

View “The Beginner’s Guide to Excel – Excel Basics Tutorial,” by Technology for Teachers and Students (2017), located on the YouTube website. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwbho0CgEAE&feature=youtu.be

MODULE 3

DQ1

Summarize the six steps of hypothesis testing. Propose a scenario in which hypothesis testing is applied to public health data.

DQ2

Compare and contrast descriptive and inferential statistics. Discuss why both descriptive and inferential statistics are used in the analysis of public health data.

STUDY MATERIALS

Read Chapters 6 in Using and Interpreting Statistics: A Practical Text for the Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences.

URL:http://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/macmillan-learning/2016/using-and-interpreting-statistics_a-practical-text-for-the-behavioral-social-and-health-sciences_ebook_3e.php.

Read “Significance,” by Frey, from The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (2018).