Introductory Biostatistics

The nuts-and-bolts of biostatistics–without the anxiety

To students in public health, dentistry, nursing, and other health disciplines, the introductory course in biostatistics conjures up dread images of mind-numbing formulas and dry-as-bones texts. This text, adapted from and expanding on his bestselling Health and Numbers (Wiley), will change your mind.

Designed as an antidote to the usual anxiety-producing textbooks, Professor Chap T. Lee’s Introductory Biostatistics is a lively, user-friendly introduction that will nurture interest and motivate students to see statistics as a "way of thinking" about gathering and analyzing data–not just a bunch of formulas or data. It is, as the author puts it, "the science of dealing with uncertainties using incomplete information."

Taking a problems-based approach full of real-world examples, the text slowly and methodically builds understanding and mastery of the fundamentals of biostatistics. It briefly covers data collection and then expands on the subjects of descriptive statistics, statistical inference, probability, and probability models. Such features as "Brief Notes on the Fundamentals," end-of-chapter notes on computations using Excel, and samples of SAS computer programs strengthen the reader’s grasp of the background and the concepts of biostatistical procedures.

Written for the applied statistician seeking a handy and accessible reference as well as for students taking a full-year course, Introductory Biostatistics fills a long-time need for a reassuring, sensitively-presented, yet thorough exposure to a subject of increasing importance to professionals in the health disciplines.

CHAP T. LE, PhD, is Distinguished University Teaching Professor and the Director of Biostatistics at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. His other books include Health and Numbers: Basic Biostatistical Methods, Applied Survival Analysis, Applied Categorical Data Analysis, and Health and Numbers: A Problems-Based Introduction to Biostatistics, Second Edition, all from Wiley.