statistics in public health

Question 1

National Center for Health Statistics

Answer 1

part of the CDC
Federal Agency
states report to NCHS
surveys health, lifestyle, etc

Question 2

Birth Certificate

Answer 2

Issued by local gov’t
reported to state & NCHS
has family and medical information

Question 3

Death Certificates

Answer 3

Cause of death

Question 4

Marriages & Divorces

Answer 4

yes

Question 5

Infant

Answer 5

Deaths before their 1st birthday
Spontaneous fetal deaths & abortions

Question 6

Census

Answer 6

Measures the population
happens every 10 years
geographic distribution
collects information on sex, age, race
helps track trends in immigration
completed by the US Census Bureau

Question 7

Age adjusted mortality rates

Answer 7

Age-adjusted mortality rate is a statistical measure that is used to compare the mortality rates between two populations or across different time periods, while accounting for the differences in the age distribution of those populations.

Question 8

Age specific mortality rate

Answer 8

Age-specific mortality rate is a measure that reflects the number of deaths in a particular age group of a population, usually expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 or 100,000 people in that age group.

Question 9

Infant mortality rate

Answer 9

The infant mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given population in a specific time period.

Question 10

Life expectancy

Answer 10

Life expectancy is the average number of years that a person can expect to live, based on current mortality rates and other demographic factors such as sex, race, and socioeconomic status

Question 11

Years Potential Life Lost

Answer 11

is a measure that estimates the number of years of potential life lost when a person dies prematurely before reaching the age of 75.

Question 12

National Health Interview Survey

Answer 12

involves 50,000 households and provides information on a range of health topics.

Question 13

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Answer 13

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) involves 15 counties and 5,000 people and provides a comprehensive health assessment.

Question 14

The Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS)

Answer 14

conducted by states and territories, reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is an ongoing surveillance system that collects information on risk factors and preventive health practices related to the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.

Question 15

What is this data being used for?

Answer 15

Detect health issues
develop public health policy
plan the allocation of resources to address the need of the community
evaluate how efficient the public health interventions have been

Question 16

Confidentiality

Answer 16

removal of identifying information: names, etc
only having restricted access to databases
& the IRB Institutional Review Board. reviews all requests for access to data by researchers

Question 17

Uncertainty & Probability

Answer 17

These studies measure probability
p < 0.05 is not significant
P = or < 0.05 is significant

Question 18

confidence intervals

Answer 18

margins of error
+ or - 3

Question 19

small confidence interval

Answer 19

low likelihood of random error

Question 20

Statistical Power

Answer 20

refers to the probability of detecting a true effect or relationship between variables, given that it exists in the population.

A study with high statistical power has a greater chance of detecting a true effect or relationship, whereas a study with low statistical power is more likely to miss a true effect or relationship

Question 21

false positive

Answer 21

False positives can occur due to various factors such as small sample size, flaws in the study design or data analysis, or by chance.

Question 22

false negatives

Answer 22

false negatives can occur when the sample size is too small, or the test used is not sensitive enough to detect the effect or relationship being studied.

Question 23

Screening tests

Answer 23

May yield false positives or negatives

Question 24

Sensitive screening tests

Answer 24

few false negatives

Question 25

specific screening tests

Answer 25

few false positives

Question 26

Population screening tests

Answer 26

Want to avoid missing any positives
Sacrifice specificity for sensitivity
Follow-up with more specific test
High number of false positives may render test ineffective or too costly

Question 27

COVID screening

Answer 27

both virus and antibodies
testing exposure by testing for antibodies
FDA had pressure to get the kits out there
begs the question if these kits are 100% accurate or effective

Question 28

Rapid Tests: Abbot Test

Answer 28

screens for virus

Question 29

NYU Study

Answer 29

says that there are false negatives in 1/3-1/2 of cases but Abbott disputes this but this study is supported by Stanford and Cleveland clinic
having a rate like this: 50,000 will test negative if positive out of 1million people
big #

Question 30

analytical sensitivity

Answer 30

refers to the ability of a test to detect even very low concentrations of a particular substance

Question 31

clinical test performance

Answer 31

refers to the accuracy and reliability of a medical test in diagnosing or detecting a particular disease or condition.

Question 32

clinical sensitivity

Answer 32

Clinical sensitivity measures the percentage of positive test results among patients with confirmed disease. This requires an independent confirmation of the disease by symptoms or another test

Question 33

Challenges with COVID

Answer 33

tests must be highly sensitive
able to detect the disease even in asymptomatic patients
FDA must ensure sensitivity and specificity before sending tests to market

Question 34

cost-benefit analysis

Answer 34

The estimated cost of implementing a policy or healthcare intervention should be weighed against the estimated benefits it would provide.

For example, the cost of implementing an immunization program should be compared to the cost of treating the disease that the immunization aims to prevent.