552.602.81
The Role of Quantitative Methods in Public Health
Location
Internet
Term
3rd Term
Department
Extradepartmental
Credit(s)
0.5
Academic Year
2023 - 2024
Instruction Method
Asynchronous Online
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Contact Name
Course Facilitator
Contact Email
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Quantitative methods are crucial for helping describe and assess a population’s health, for understanding the factors that contribute to and affect public health, and for identifying and assessing interventions to improve public health.
Covers the bases for the role of quantitative methods in public health, including how to formulate scientific questions quantitatively, different types of data, properties characterizing high or poor quality of measurements, the implications of statistical uncertainty, and the difference between association and causation. Uses illustrative case examples including the opioid epidemic and aging.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Use statistical reasoning to formulate public health questions in quantitative terms
- Provide examples of different types of data arising in public health studies and of characteristics describing the quality of measurements
- Interpret estimates and uncertainty for a single population quantity and for a comparison of populations
- Articulate the distinction between correlation and causation and the benefit of randomization when estimating causal effects
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 20% Participation
- 40% Interim
- 40% Final
Jointly Offered With