Biostatistics

“Statistics is a science of systemic collection, classification, tabulation, presentation, analysis and interpretation
of data.”

The practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large quantities, especially for purpose of
inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative sample. It is the science of facts and figures.
‘Statistic’ means a measured or counted fact or piece of the information, stated as a figure such as height of one
person, birth weight of a baby etc. Sir Francis Galton is considered as the Father of Biostatistics. He was the
first to apply statistical methods to the study of human differences and inheritance of intelligence, and introduced
the use of Questionnaires and Surveys for collecting data on human communities, which he needed for
genealogical and biographical works and for his anthropometric studies.
Biostatistics: “Biostatistics is the basic science of collection, classification, analysis, quantification and
interpretation of data in relation to vital events.” “Biostatistics is the branch of statistics that deals with vital
events in a human population.” These vital events are births, deaths, sickness, marriage, divorce etc. Bio-
Statistics is related to health and disease related states and events.
Uses of Biostatistics
• To define and quantify the nature and extent of illness and death in the community
• To establish causation for existence of health problems
• To plan health measures
• To evaluate outcome of health measures
• For comparison
• For research
Population: “Population is the number of people living in a specific area.” In statistics, population means
the number of group, number of things etc.
Sample: “The part of a population is called Sample.” “The process of taking sample is called Sampling.”

Sample size is the number of subjects (people, plants, etc.) in a group selected from a population. Because
sampling error tends to be smaller for larger samples, larger samples have more statistical power.

1
Parameter: “Any numerical value computed from the population is known as Parameters.” A parameter is a
quantitative characteristic of the population that you’re interested in estimating or testing (such as a population
mean or proportion). A parameter generally, is any characteristic that can help in defining or classifying a
particular system (meaning an event, project, object, situation, etc.). That is, a parameter is an element of a
system that is useful, or critical, when identifying the system, or when evaluating its performance, status,
condition, etc.
Data: “Facts and figures you collect are called Data.” Data is/are the basic building blocks of statistics and
refers to the individual values presented, measured or observed.

Classification: “When you arrange the data into classes, it is called Classification.” Ex: Classification data on
effects of malaria on human population.
Table: “The systematic arrangement of data in form of columns and rows is called Table.”
Tabulation” “The presentation of data in the form of table is called Tabulation.”

Variable: “Any numerical value which varies from one individual to other is called Variable.” For example height
and weight of the individuals are variables. The characteristics of the person, object or phenomenon that can take
on different values are variables.
Range: The range of a distribution is one of the simplest measures of variability of a distribution. It is simply the
difference between the maximum and minimum values in the distribution.

2
Probability- A number that lies between zero & one, including a specific event that will occur.

Biostatistics is a branch of statistics that focuses on the application of statistical methods and techniques to
biological, biomedical, and health-related data. It plays a fundamental role in medical research, public health,
clinical trials, epidemiology, and various other areas of the biological and health sciences. Biostatistics involves
the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data to draw meaningful conclusions and make
informed decisions.
Statistics plays a crucial role in zoology by providing necessary tools to analyze animal populations, ecological
patterns, and complex biological data, allowing researchers to test hypotheses, interpret results, and draw
meaningful conclusions from their studies, making it an essential component of modern zoological research;
Essentially, statistics helps researchers make sense of vast amount of data collected on animal behavior,
physiology, and distribution, enabling informed decision-making in conservation and management strategies.
Key aspects of statistics in zoology:

 Study Design: Biostatistics helps in designing studies and experiments to address specific research
questions. It assists in determining sample sizes, defining appropriate study populations, and selecting
appropriate data collection methods. Statistics helps design well-structured research studies by determining
appropriate sample sizes, sampling methods, and considering potential biases to ensure reliable data
collection.
 Data Collection: Biostatisticians guide the process of data collection, ensuring that data is collected in a
standardized and reliable manner. They help develop data collection instruments, design surveys, and
establish protocols for data collection. Statistical methods like regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and
multivariate analysis allow researchers to identify trends, relationships between variables, and assess the
significance of observed patterns in animal populations.
 Descriptive Statistics: Descriptive statistics involve summarizing and presenting data in a meaningful way.
This includes measures of central tendency (e.g., mean, median), measures of variability (e.g., standard
deviation, range), and graphical representations (e.g., histograms, box plots) to describe and visualize data
characteristics.
 Probability: Probability theory forms the foundation of biostatistics. It deals with the likelihood of events
occurring and helps in quantifying uncertainty. Biostatisticians use probability distributions to model random
variables, such as the normal distribution for continuous data or the binomial distribution for categorical data.
 Statistical Inference: Statistical inference involves drawing conclusions or making inferences about a
population based on sample data. It includes estimation and hypothesis testing. Estimation aims to determine
population parameters based on sample statistics, while hypothesis testing involves making decisions or
testing hypotheses about population characteristics.

3
 Study Analysis: Biostatisticians analyze data using appropriate statistical methods to address research
objectives. They select and apply statistical tests, regression models, survival analysis, and other techniques
to identify relationships, assess treatment effects, examine associations, and explore patterns in the data.
Statistical methods like regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and multivariate analysis allow researchers
to identify trends, relationships between variables, and assess the significance of observed patterns in animal
populations.

 Clinical Trials: Biostatistics plays a crucial role in design and analysis of clinical trials, which are rigorous
studies conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medical interventions. It helps in determining
sample sizes, randomization procedures, blinding methods, and statistical analysis plans for clinical trials.
 Epidemiology: Biostatistics is closely intertwined with epidemiology, study of disease patterns, risk factors,
and distribution of health outcomes in populations. Biostatistical methods are used to analyze
epidemiological data, estimate disease prevalence & incidence rates, identify risk factors, & evaluate
interventions.
 Data Interpretation and Reporting: Biostatisticians assist in interpreting study findings, assessing the
statistical significance of results, and communicating results effectively to researchers, clinicians,
policymakers, and public. They contribute to scientific publications, research reports, and presentations.
 Population monitoring: By analyzing population trends over time, researchers can identify potential threats
to animal species and inform conservation efforts.
 Ecological modeling: Statistical models can be used to simulate ecological processes and predict how
environmental changes might impact animal populations.
 Understanding animal behavior: Analyzing data on animal behavior patterns, such as feeding or mating
behavior, can be facilitated through statistical analysis.
 Statistical Software: Biostatistical analysis is often facilitated by the use of specialized statistical software
packages such as R, SAS, SPSS, or Stata. These software tools provide a wide range of statistical methods
and data manipulation capabilities to assist in data analysis.
Examples of statistical applications in zoology:
• Analyzing the impact of habitat fragmentation on species diversity
• Investigating the relationship between climate change and animal migration patterns
• Evaluating the effectiveness of conservation interventions
• Studying the genetic diversity within a species
• Comparing the body size of different animal populations
Biostatistics provides a quantitative framework for analyzing and interpreting biological and health-related
data. It helps researchers and decision-makers make evidence-based decisions, evaluate interventions, identify
risk factors, and improve public health outcomes.