02051 - Health Statistics

Academic Year 2019/2020

  • Docente: Giulia Roli
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: SECS-S/05
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Statistical Sciences (cod. 8873)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students would know the main sources of data, indexes commonly used in health statistics, measures of quality of life and statistical models for survaival analysis. Moreover, the students would be able to: - use data sources of both Italian and international health systems, - calculate new indexes from these data, - analyze health data through statistical tools.

Course contents

Introduction to epidemiology. Main sources of data in health statistics. Measures of disease frequency and association. Sampling designs in epidemiologic studies. Accuracy, precision and validity. Controlling confounding. Causal effects.

Readings/Bibliography

K.J. Rothman, Epidemiologia, Idelson Gnocchi, 2007.

Other textbooks:

K.J. Rothman, Modern Epidemiology, Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 3 ed., 2008.

B.B. Gerstman, Epidemiology Kept Simple: An Introduction to Traditional and Modern Epidemiology, Wiley-Liss, 2 ed., 2003.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures, practice exercises, computer lab.

Assessment methods

The exam, common to the course of Biostatisics, aims at testing the student's achievement of the following learning outcomes:

• deep knowledge of the statstical methods described and discussed during the lectures

• ability to use these methods in the analysis of biometrical data

• ability to use the obtained results for the quantitative interpretation of an epidemiological or clinical study.

The exam is common to the course of Biostatistics and is a computer plus an oral test. The aim of the computer test is to verify practical competences in the statistical analysis of health data. The oral test is related to the teaching objectives under a theoretical perspective.
The oral examination can be taken only when the computer test is passed and during at most two successive exam sessions. The exam is globally passed when both tests are sufficient. The final evaluation, given in marks out of 30, represents an average of the results obtained from both the exams.

Teaching tools

Projector, PC, chalkboard, statistical softwares.

Office hours

See the website of Giulia Roli