MPH501 Full Course Latest 2020 January

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 1 Discussion

DQ1 Introduction to Biostatistics

Discuss the application of biostatistics in public health. Please elaborate in your answer to include quantitative and qualitative data.

DQ2 Study Designs

Using the study designs explained in your textbook, discuss the application of study designs in public health. Use a current quantitative and a current qualitative example.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 1: Relate probabilistic and biostatistical terminology to public health issues.

CO 6: Critically review statistical methods encountered in the public health literature.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 2 Discussion

DQ1 Prevalence and Incidence

Describe the relationship between prevalence and incidence?

DQ2 Variables

Explain the differences among dichotomous variables, categorical variables, and continuous variables.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 1: Relate probabilistic and biostatistical terminology to public health issues.

CO 6: Critically review statistical methods encountered in the public health literature.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 3 Discussion

DQ1 Sample Selection

Define the four methods for selecting a sample and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each method.

DQ2 Sensitivity and Specificity

What is the importance of sensitivity and specificity related to screening tests? Explain why it is crucial to obtain a high sensitivity and specificity value for a screening test.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 3: Develop the role of probability as it is applied to public health and medical research.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 4 Discussion

DQ1 Confidence Interval

Describe the procedure for estimating a confidence interval for a continuous variable.

DQ2 Population Variance

Describe procedures used for estimating a confidence interval when the population variance is unknown.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 2: Apply biostatistical procedures in the public health environment and to epidemiological issues.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 5 Discussion

DQ1 Hypothesis Testing

Describe the five steps in hypothesis testing. What is the difference between a one-sample test and a two-sample test?

DQ2 T-tests

Interpret the differences in conducting two-tailed, upper tailed, and lower tailed t-tests. Please provide an example of how at least two of these types of t-tests have been used in quantitative and qualitative research.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 2: Apply biostatistical procedures in the public health environment and to epidemiological issues.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 6 Discussion

DQ1 Chi-Square Testing

Describe the four steps in chi-square testing. What is the difference between the terms goodness of fit and test of independence? Please provide an example from quantitative and qualitative research.

DQ2 Statistical Power/Sample Size Estimation

Why are statistical power and sample size estimation important for biostatistics? Please provide an example from quantitative and qualitative research.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 4: Interpret the output from statistical computing packages to draw appropriate inferences and report results effectively.

CO 5: Apply multivariable methods and use real data to test for statistical significance.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 7 Discussion

DQ1 Multivariable Analysis

Describe the usefulness of linear regression to public health professionals. Provide an example of linear regression from current quantitative and qualitative research.

DQ2 Simple Linear Regression

Describe the difference between the independent and dependent variables in a simple linear regression model. Provide an example of the two variables from current quantitative and qualitative research.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 4: Interpret the output from statistical computing packages to draw appropriate inferences and report results effectively.

CO 5: Apply multivariable methods and use real data to test for statistical significance.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 2 Assignment

Article Review

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is for you to begin to gain an understanding of how prevalence and incidence are used in a peer review article, as well as how qualitative data collection methods can be applied to quantitative research.

Moser, A., & Korstjens, I. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection and analysis. Eur J Gen Pract., 24(1), 9-18. doi: 10.1080/13814788.2017.1375091.

Romero, V., Akpinar, H., & Assimos, D. G. (2010). Kidney Stones: A Global Picture of Prevalence, Incidence, and Associated Risk Factors. Reviews in Urology, 12(2-3), e86-e96. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931286/ (Links to an external site.)

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following Course Outcomes.

CO 1: Relate probabilistic and biostatistical terminology to public health issues.

CO 6: Critically review statistical methods encountered in the public health literature.

MPH CEPH Competency covered in this module:

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 8 Assessment

You Decide Reflection

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide the student an opportunity to reflect on selected MPH competencies acquired through the MPH501 course.

Course Outcomes

This assignment provides documentation of student ability to meet the following MPH501 course outcomes:

CO 1: Relate probabilistic and biostatistical terminology to public health issues (PO2).

CO 2: Apply biostatistical procedures in the public health environment and to epidemiological issues (PO2).

CO 3: Develop the role of probability as it is applied to public health and medical research (PO2).

CO 4: Interpret the output from statistical computing packages to draw appropriate inferences and report results effectively (PO2).

CO 5: Identify the roles of law and government public health agencies in promoting and protecting the health of the public (POs 1, 3, 7, 8, 10).

CO 6: Apply multivariable methods and use real data to test for statistical significance (PO2).

CO 7: Prepare statistical methods encountered in the public health literature (PO2).

 

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 1 Quiz

Question 1A study is planned to assess the effect of a new surgical intervention for kidney stones. One hundred-fourteen patients with kidney stones will be randomly assigned to receive either the new surgical intervention or the standard surgical intervention.  The efficacy of the new surgical intervention will be measured by the time it takes a patient to return to normal  activities, measured in days.  Identify the type of study proposed and indicate its specific strengths and weaknesses.

Question 2An investigator wants to assess whether increased levels of pesticide exposure is a risk factor for colon cancer. Electronic medical records at a local hospital will be used to identify 74 patients with colon cancer. One hundred eleven patients who are similar but free of colon cancer will also be selected.  Each participant’s medical record will be analyzed for pesticide exposure history.  Identify the type of study proposed and indicate its specific strengths and weaknesses.

Question 3Describe at least two sources of bias in the study described in Question 3.

Question 4Which of the below is not the most common qualitative method?  

Surveys

Participant observation

In-depth interviews

Focus groups

Question 5What type of data is generated from qualitative research methods? Select all that apply.

Field Notes

Audio (or video) recordings

Transcripts

Questionnaire data

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 2 Quiz

Question 1The following are baby height measurements, in cm, for a sample of infants participating in a study of infant health:

28        30        41        48        29        48        62        49        51        39

a.          Compute the sample mean.

b.          Compute the sample standard deviation.

c.           Compute the median.

d.          Compute the first and third quartiles.

e.          Which measure, the mean or median, is a better measure of a typical value?  Justify.

f.           Which measure, the standard deviation or the interquartile range, is a better measure of dispersion?  Justify.

Question 2A pilot study is run to investigate the feasibility of recruiting pregnant women into a study of risk factors for preterm delivery. Women are invited to participate at their first clinical visit for prenatal care.  The following represent the gestational ages in weeks of women who consent to participate in the study.

11        14        21        22        9          10        13        18      

X           X2

11         121

14         196

21         441

22         484

9           81

10         100

13         169

18         324

118       1916

a.          Compute the sample mean gestational age.

b.          Compute the sample standard deviation of gestational age.

c.           Compute the median gestational age

d.          What proportion of the sample enroll in first trimester of pregnancy (i.e., between 1-13 weeks, inclusive, of pregnancy)?

Question 3A prospective cohort study is run to estimate the incidence of stroke in persons 55 years of age and older.  All participants are free of stroke at study start.  Each participant is followed for a maximum of 5 years.  The data are summarized below.

             Number of Strokes          Number of Stroke Free Person-Years

 Men (n=125)     9          478

 Women (n=200)             21        974

a.          What is the annual incidence rate of stroke in men?

b.          What is the annual incidence rate of stroke in women?

c.           What is the annual incidence rate of stroke (men and women combined)?

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 3 Quiz

Question 1Diastolic blood pressures are assumed to follow a normal distribution with a mean of 85 and a standard deviation of 12.

a.          What proportion of people have diastolic blood pressure less than 90?

b.          What proportion have diastolic blood pressures between 80 and 90?

Question 2Consider the data described in Problem 1.

a.          If a sample of 15 participants are sampled, what is the probability that their mean diastolic blood pressure exceeds 90?

b.          Describe a study you could conduct on this population using one of the qualitative data collection methods you’ve learned about previously.

Question 3The following table cross classifies women in the study by their body mass index (BMI) at 16 weeks gestation and whether they had preterm delivery.

             BMI < 30            BMI 30-34.9       BMI 35+

Preterm             320       80         120

Full Term           4700     480       300

a.          What is the probability that a woman delivers preterm?

b.          What is the probability a women has BMI <30 and delivers preterm?

c.           What proportion of women with BMI 35+ deliver preterm?

d.          Are BMI and preterm delivery independent?  Justify.

Question 4The following table displays the number of children in a local town classified as normal weight, overweight and obese by year in school.

             Normal Weight  Overweight        Obese   Total

Elementary        50         120       80         250

Middle  30         45         45         120

Junior High        50         50         40         140

High School        30         85         85         200

Total     160       300       250       710

a.          What proportion of the children are obese?

b.          What proportion of the normal weight children are in high school?

Question 5The following table summarizes data collected in a study to evaluate a new screening test for ovarian cancer.  A total of 200 women were involved in the study – 50 had ovarian cancer and 150 did not.  The results are tabulated below.

                          Ovarian Cancer Free of Ovarian Cancer

Screening Test   Positive 28         23

             Negative            22         127

                          50         150

a.          Find the sensitivity of the screening test.

b.          Find the false positive fraction of the screening test.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 4 Quiz

Question 1 The following table displays descriptive statistics on the participants involved in a study.

Characteristic	Experimental Medication (n=100)	Placebo (n=100)
Mean (SD) Age, years	47.2 (4.3)	46.1 (5.1)
% Males	46%	58%
Mean (SD) Educational Level, years	13.1 (2.9)	14.2 (3.1)
Mean (SD) Annual Income, $000s	$36.560 ($1,054)	$37.470 ($998)
Mean Body Mass Index	24.7 (2.7)	25.1 (2.4)

Generate a 95% confidence interval for the mean age among participants assigned to the placebo.

Generate a 95% confidence interval for the difference in mean ages in participants assigned to the experimental versus the placebo groups.

Generate a 95% confidence interval for the difference in mean body mass index in participants assigned to the experimental versus the placebo groups.

Question 2 A clinical trial is run to assess the efficacy of a new pacemaker device in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).  Two hundred participants are randomized to receive the new pacemaker or a currently available pacemaker.  There are two primary outcomes of interest – the number of days in a three-month period with an atrial fibrillation event and hospitalization for atrial fibrillation over the three month follow-up period.  Data on baseline characteristics and the outcomes are shown below.

Baseline Characteristics	New Pacemaker (n=100)	Available Pacemaker (n=100)
Mean (SD) Age, years	67.3 (5.9)	66.9 (5.6)
% Male	48%	52%
Outcomes
Mean (SD) Number of days with AF event	8.4 (3.2)	14.9 (3.9)
% Hospitalized for AF	4%	9%

Compute a 95% confidence interval for the difference in mean number of days with an AF event between participants receiving the new pacemaker as compared to the available pacemaker.

Compute a 95% confidence interval for the mean number of days with an AF event among participants receiving the new pacemaker.

Question 3 The following table shows the numbers of patients classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese according to their diabetes status.

	Underweight	Normal Weight	Overweight	Obese
Diabetes	8	34	43	65
No Diabetes	12	85	40	93

If a patient is selected at random,

What is the probability that they are overweight?                            

What is the probability that they are obese and diabetic?                

What proportion of the diabetics are obese?                                    

What proportion of normal weight patients are not diabetic?          

What proportion of patients are normal weight or underweight?   

Question 4 An investigator wants to test whether exposure to second-hand smoke before 1 year of life is associated with development of childhood asthma (defined as asthma diagnosed before 5 years of age).  Give two possible study designs and indicate the pros and cons of each.  Then, provide your recommendation for the most efficient design.

 

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 5 Quiz

Question 1Recent recommendations suggest 60 minutes of physical activity per day.  A sample of 50 adults in a study of cardiovascular risk factors report exercising a mean of 38 minutes per day with a standard deviation of 19 minutes.  Based on the sample data, is the physical activity significantly less than recommended?  Run the appropriate test at a 5% level of significance.

Question 2A clinical trial is planned to compare an experimental medication designed to lower blood pressure to a placebo.  Before starting the trial, a pilot study is conducted involving 7 participants.  The objective of the study is to assess how systolic blood pressure changes over time untreated.  Systolic blood pressures are measured at baseline and again 4 weeks later.  Is there a statistically significant difference in blood pressures over time?  Run the test at a 5% level of significance.

Baseline         120    145     130   160    152    143   126  

4 Weeks         122    142    135    158    155    140   130  

Difference     -2       3        -5       2        -3       3        -4      []Differences = -6

Difference2   4        9        25      4        9        9        16      []Differences2 = 76

Question 3The mean lifetime for cardiac stents is 8.9 years.  A medical device company has implemented some improvements in the manufacturing process and hypothesizes that the lifetime is now longer.  A study of 40 new devices reveals a mean lifetime of 9.7 years with a standard deviation of 3.4 years.  Is there statistical evidence of a prolonged lifetime of the stents?  Run the test at a 5% level of significance.

Question 4An investigator hypothesizes that cholesterol levels in children might be affected by educating their parents on proper nutrition and exercise.  A sample of 40 families with a child between the ages of 10-15 who has been diagnosed with high cholesterol agree to participate in the study.  All parents are provided educational information on nutrition and exercise.  After following the prescribed program, their child’s total cholesterol level is measured.  The children’s mean cholesterol level is 175 with a standard deviation of 19.5.  Is there significant evidence of a reduction in total cholesterol in the children?  Run the appropriate test at the 5% level of significance and assume that the null value for total cholesterol is 191.

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 6 Quiz

Question 1Some scientists believe that alcoholism is linked to social isolation.  One measure of social isolation is marital status.  A study of 280 adults is conducted and each participant is classified as not alcoholic, diagnosed alcoholic or undiagnosed alcoholic, and categorized by marital status.  Is there significant evidence of an association?  Run the appropriate test at a 5% level of significance.

Diagnosed Alcoholic	Undiagnosed Alcoholic	Not Alcoholic
Married	21	37	58
Not Married	59	63	42

Question 2Suppose a hypertension trial is mounted and 18 participants are randomly assigned to one of the comparison treatments.  Each participant takes the assigned medication and their systolic blood pressure (SBP) is recorded after 6 months on the assigned treatment.  The data are as follows.

Standard Treatment	Placebo	New Treatment
124	134	114
111	143	117
133	148	121
125	142	124
128	150	122
115	160	128

Is there a difference in mean SBP among treatments?  Run the appropriate test at []=0.05. 

 

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 8 Final Exam  

Question 1 Peak expiratory flow (PEF) is a measure of a patient’s ability to expel air from the lungs.  Patients with asthma or other respiratory conditions often have restricted PEF.  The mean PEF for children free of asthma is 360.  An investigator wants to test whether children with chronic bronchitis have restricted PEF.  A sample of 48 children with chronic bronchitis are studied and their mean PEF is 297 with a standard deviation of 74.  Is there statistical evidence of a lower mean PEF in children with chronic bronchitis?  Run the appropriate test at a=0.05.

Question 2A study is designed to investigate whether there is a difference in response to various treatments in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.  The outcome is patient’s self-reported effect of treatment.  The data are shown below.  Is there a significant difference in effect of treatment?  Run the test at a 5% level of significance.

Symptoms Worsened	No Effect	Symptoms Improved	Total
Treatment 1	22	14	14	50
Treatment 2	14	15	21	50
Treatment 3	9	12	29	50

 

MPH501 Quantitative Methods for Public Health Application

Module 1 Exercise

Question 1An investigator wants to assess whether smoking is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Elect