Statistics

Definition
Defined as the collection, organization,
presentation, analysis and
interpretation of numerical data.

TYPES

Biostatistics: methods used in dealing with

the statistics in the fields of medicine, biology
and public health and in planning, conducting
and analysing data.
Vital statistics : numerical description of
birth, death, abortion, marriage, divorce,
adoption and judicial separation.
Fertility statistics: relates to data about
current and future family size.
Health statistics: deals with data about health
resources and diseases.
Demographic statistics: deals with
demographic phenomena such as population
density, movement and education level.

Stages of statistical investigations

Collection : collection of data/ piece of information
Organization: data collected is edited so that the
omissions, inconsistencies, irrelevant answers and
wrong computation may be corrected and
adjusted.
Presentation : data presented in the form of
diagrams and graphs.
Analysis : done by using central tendency,
measure of variation, correlation and regression.
Interpretation : findings are interpreted in light of
the study hypothesis.

Bio- statistics
The tools of statistics are employed in many
fields:
business, education, psychology, agriculture,
economics, etc.
When the data analyzed are derived from the
biological science and medicine,
we use the term biostatistics to distinguish
this particular application of statistical tools
and concepts.

Data:
The raw material of Statistics is data.
We may define data as figures. Figures
result from the process of counting or from
taking a measurement.

For example:
- When a hospital administrator counts the
number of patients (counting).
- When a nurse weighs a patient
(measurement)

A variable
It is a characteristic that takes on different
values in different persons, places, or
things.

For example:
-

heart rate,
the heights of adult males,
the weights of preschool children,
the ages of patients seen in a dental clinic.

Types of variables
Quantitative
Quantitative Variables

It can be measured
in the usual sense.

For example:

- the heights of
adult males,
- the weights of
preschool
children,
- the ages of
patients seen in a
dental clinic.

Qualitative
Qualitative Variables
Many characteristics are
not capable of being
measured. Some of
them can be ordered
or ranked.

For example:
- classification of people
into socio-economic
groups,
- social classes based on
income, education, etc.

A population
It is the largest collection of values of a
random variable for which we have an
interest at a particular time.

For example:
The weights of all the children enrolled
in a certain elementary school.
Populations may be finite or infinite.

* A sample:
It is a part of a population.

For example:
The weights of only a fraction of these
children.

Measures of Central
Tendency

A measure of central tendency is a measure

which indicates where the middle of the
data is.
The three most commonly used measures of
central tendency are:

The Mean, the Median, and the

Mode.
The Mean:
It is the average of the data.

The Median:
When ordering the data, it is the observation
that divide the set of observations into two
equal parts such that half of the data are
before it and the other are after it.
* If n is odd, the median will be the middle of
observations. It will be the (n+1)/2 th
ordered observation.
When n = 11, then the median is the 6th
observation.
* If n is even, there are two middle
observations. The median will be the mean
of these two middle observations. It will be
the (n+1)/2 th ordered observation.
When n = 12, then the median is the 6.5th
observation, which is an observation halfway
between the 6th and 7th ordered observation.

The Mode:
It is the value which occurs most
frequently.
If all values are different there is no
mode.
Sometimes, there are more than
one mode.

Example:
For the same random sample, the
value 28 is repeated two times,
so it is the mode.

Measures of Dispersion are :

1.Range (R).
2. Variance.
3. Standard deviation.
4.Coefficient of variation (C.V).

Definition vital
statistics

Vital statistics is the numerical

description
abortion,

of

birth,

marriage,

adoption & separation.

death,
divorce,

Uses or importance
Determination of health status
Making programmes for health
Improvement in administration
Comparing the health status
Evaluation of health programmes
For research in matters related to
health
For analysis of the trends of health
statistics.
For legal necessity
For planning

Methods of collection of
vital statistics
1. Census
2. Registration (Sample registration
scheme)
3. Surveys
4. Hospital and health care records
5. Notification of disease

Registration of vital statistics

State

Director of Public health and

preventive medicine

District

District Collector

Tehsil/Block/Tow
n

Tahsildhar
Ex. Officer

Village

Village administrative officer

Presentation of vital
statistics
1. Tabulation
2. Diagrams
3. Charts
4. Maps

Classification
1.
2.
3.
4.

Mortality statistics
Morbidity statistics
Fertility statistics
Population statistics

1. Mortality measures

1.1) Crude death rate

The number of deaths ( from all causes) per
1000 estimated mid-year population in one
year, in a given place.
No: of deaths during the year
------------------------------------------ x 1000
Mid-year population
Mid-year population refers to the population
estimated as on the first July of an year.

1.2) Specific death rates

a) Cause or disease specific
Eg: accident, tuberculosis, cancer,
b) Related to specific groups
Age specific
Sex specific
Age and sex specific
c) Time specific

Disease specific death rate

SPECIFIC DEATH RATE DUE TO
TUBERCULOSIS
No: of deaths from TB during a year
--------------------------------------------- x
1000
Mid-year population

Age specific death rate

SPECIFIC DEATH RATE IN AGE
GROUPS 15-20 YEARS
No: of deaths of persons aged
15-20 during a year
-------------------------------------------x1000
Mid-year population of persons
aged 15-20

Sex specific death rate

SPECIFIC DEATH RATES FOR
MALES
Number of deaths among males
during a year
----------------------------------------- x
1000
Mid year population of males

Time specific death rate

DEATH RATE FOR JANUARY
Deaths in January x 12
-----------------------------------X 1000
Mid-year population
The deaths are multiplied by 12 in order
to make monthly death rate comparable
with the annual death rate.

1.3) Case fatality rate

Case fatality represents the killing
power of a disease.
Total number of deaths due to
a particular diseases
---------------------------------------- x 100
Total number of cases due to
the same disease

1.4) Proportional mortality

rate
It expresses the number of deaths
due to particular cause (or in a
specific age group) per 100 or 1000
total deaths.
Number of deaths from the specific
disease in a year
--------------------------------------------x
100
Total deaths from all causes
in that year

Number of deaths under 5 years of

age
in the given year
--------------------------------------------x
100
Total deaths during the same year

1.5) Survival rate

It is the proportion of survivors in a
group (eg: of patients) studied and
followed over a period (eg: 5 year
period).
Total number of patients alive
after 5 years
------------------------------------------ x 100
Total number of patients
diagnosed or treated

1.6) Infant mortality rate

It is the ratio of infants deaths registered in
a given year to the total number of live
births of the same year.
No. of deaths of children below
1 year of age in a year
------------------------------------------------Total LB in that year

1000

1.7) MMR (Maternal mortality

rate)
MMR is defined as the death of women
while pregnant or within 42 days of
termination of pregnancy irrespective of
duration and site of pregnancy from any
cause related to or aggravated by the
pregnancy or its management but not
from accidental or incidental causes.

Female death due to complications of

pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days
of delivery from puerperal causes in an
area during a year
----------------------------------------------
1000
Total live births in that area for a year

2) Morbidity measures

2.1) Incidence
The number of NEW cases occurring
in a defined population during a
specified period of time.
Number of new cases of specific
disease during a given time period
--------------------------------------------x
1000
Population at risk during that period

2.2) Prevalence
It refers to all current cases
(old and new) existing at a
given point in time or over a
period of time in a given
population.

Point prevalence
Number of all current cases
(old and new) of a specified
disease existing at a given
point in time
---------------------------------------x 100
Estimated population at the
same
point in time

Period prevalence
Number of all existing cases
(old and new) of a specified
disease during a given period of
time interval
--------------------------------------------x 100
Estimated mid-interval
population at
risk

Relationship with incidence and

prevalence
Prevalence = Incidence x Mean
duration

3) Fertility measures

3.1 General fertility rate

The number of live birth during a
year per 1000 women in the
reproductive age group 15 45 years
Number of live births
--------------------------------------------- x TFR
Number of females in the age group
between 15 45 years

3.2 Total fertility rate

It indicates exactly how many
children would be born to 1000
women
passing
through
and
surviving the entire reproductive
span of their lives.

3.3 Gross reproduction rate

Number of female births
--------------------------------------------- x TFR
Total number of births
Other fertility measure include net
reproduction rate, pregnancy rate, age
specific fertility rate, marriage rate
etc..

4) Population
statistics

 Natural increase method

Estimated population = Census
(Births Deaths, Imigrants
Emigrants)

Responsibilities of CHN
in vital statistics
Collection
of
information
regarding vital statistics in her
area.
Observing
the
information
collected by her subordinates.
Editing/ classification of data.
Presentation of data.

Sending data to concerned

officials/ institutions.
Analyzing the data,
making
community
diagnosis
&
providing treatment.
Creating awareness regarding
registration.
Working efficiently as a link in
HMIS.
Participation in health surveys.

Reference
K Park, Preventive and Social
Medicine. 17th edition, Page no: 48
53
S kamalam, Essentials of community
health nursing practice, Japee
brothers, 2005, Page numbers: 592 602