Statistics for Public Health

This article discusses statistics for public health and how to collect data from a sample population. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of using different data sources such as census, civil registration system, sample surveys, and health surveys. The article also covers convenience sampling, recruitment of participants, and survey questions. Additionally, it describes previous research on patient satisfaction in dental services.

Running Head: Statistics for Public Health
Statistics for Public Health
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Statistics for Public Health
A telephone survey refers to a systematic framework of collecting data from a sample population
by use of standardized questionnaire (Leeuw, Hox, & Dillman, 2012). The research question is:
what are the demographic characteristics of the people neighboring Kwun Tong Community
Health Center and that which distinguishes between people seeking dental services and those not
seeking the service in the particular health center?
Discussion of Potential Sources of Population Data.
I would use the following data sources to select participants;
a) Census- it provides a compiled, evaluated, analyzed and published demographic, social
and economic data pertaining, for a defined time period, to all people in a country or in a
well delimited area of a country (McFarlane, 2014). For instance, census captures
demographic aspects such as age, gender, population density, literacy levels among other
elements. It forms one of the largest sources of data for population studies across the
world. Census are conducted after a defined period of time, usually 5 years of 10 years.
The actual data refer to a specific data and time called reference date that is achieved by
adjusting the figures for migration, births and deaths.
b) Civil Registration System- according to the United Nations, it is defined as the
compulsory and continuous permanent recording of the occurrence of critical events such
as deaths, live births, marriages, deaths of infants, divorces and separation, adoptions and
legitimations. Civil registration is done under law in order to provide a legal basis to the
certificates and records made from the system. It has various civil uses for the citizens on
their personal life. The information is obtained on a regular basis by various countries.
The records obtained have administrative uses in formulating and implementing
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programmes of public health and carrying out demographic, social and historical
research.
c) Sample surveys- it captures three systems, amongst them being the National Family
Health Surveys. The surveys provide varying forms of data ranging from fertility to
mortality indicators. Therefore, they are perceived to form an important source of
demographic data (Stimson, 2014).
d) Health Surveys- these are surveys carried out with an objective of evaluating
reproductive programmes and child health programmes. They provide data on fertility,
mortality of children and a number of health parameters which relate to adults and infants
at state level (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2013). They also give relevant information on
the availability of family planning and health services to women in the reproductive ages
and pregnant mothers. The health surveys also capture data on various indicators which
relate to child health, problems of reproductive health and the quality of services
available to them.
The Advantages of using these Lists
i. They provide reliable data because they gather the information on individuals based on a
pre-demined and systematic framework.
ii. They provide a large scale data which include almost, if not all demographic aspects of a
population on different issues such as health, economic and social states of individuals.
iii. They provide relevant information on particular regions of a nation hence making it easy
to access such data for a study such as this.
The Disadvantages
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Statistics for Public Health
i. They do not provide the information in real time because the data is collected on different
periods of time.
ii. Sometimes, they are unable to estimate the vital demographic aspects owing to various
restrains in methodology used.
Convenience Sampling
The method relies on collection of data from members of a population who are conveniently
accessible to participate in a study. It involves sourcing participants wherever you can find them
and typically wherever is perceived convenient. In convenience sampling, there is no criteria of
inclusion that is identified prior to the exercise of selecting the subjects.
Recruitment of Participants
I would create a convenience sample of 300 people. The sample would consist of the locals; 100
adults aged between 30 years and 50 years (50 males and 50 females), 100 young people aged
between 18 years and 30 years (50 males and 50 females) and 100 aged people (50 males and 50
females) to ensure gender balance. I would hold a forum to inform them about the survey and
train them on how to respond to questions.
Limitations of the Recruitment Approach
a) Possibility of some participants pulling out in the course of the recruitment.
b) Some participants may be unwilling to participate in the recruitment.
c) It is tedious in terms of planning and executing the recruitment.
Survey Questions
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1. Which of the following best describes your age group?
a) Adult
b) Teenager
c) Aged
2. What gender do you belong to?
a) Male
b) Female
3. Have you sought for dental services in the community health center before?
a) Yes
b) No
4. If yes, how satisfied were you with the dental services?
a) Extremely Satisfied
b) Very Satisfied
c) Moderately Satisfied
d) Slightly Satisfied
e) Not Satisfied
5. Do you think the quality of the dental services offered in the co1mmunity health center is
better than those offered in other health centers?
a) Strongly Disagree
b) Disagree
c) Undecided
d) Agree
e) Strongly Agree
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6. How would you rate the provision of the dental health service in the community health
center?
a) Excellent
b) Satisfactory
c) Good
d) Poor
7. How helpful do you find the dental service provision in the community health center?
a) Extremely Helpful
b) Very Helpful
c) Somewhat Helpful
d) Not So Helpful
e) Not At All Helpful
8. Would you recommend the dental services in the community health center to somebody
else who might be enquiring about a place to access the service in the future?
a) Yes
b) No
9. What improvements do you think would be necessary to ensure enhanced provision of
affordable and quality dental services in the community health center?
(Describe)
10. Previous research has showed that there are various attributes which influence the level
of patient satisfaction in regards to dental services in the community health center. What
are these attributes?
(Describe)
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Statistics for Public Health
References
Allender, J. A., Rector, C. L., & Warner, K. D. (2013). Community & public health nursing : promoting the
public's health. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Leeuw, E. D., Hox, J., & Dillman, D. (2012). International Handbook of Survey Methodology. Routledge.
McFarlane, D. R. (2014). Global Population and Reproductive Health. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning,
LLC.
Stimson, R. (2014). Handbook of research methods and applications in spatially integrated social science.
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd.
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