QUESTION- TOPIC 1 DQ 1 -Statistics is an important component of public health. Explain the relevance of statistics in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a health promotion intervention. How do you envision using statistics in your current or future career?

 

Classmate Response- (Sharon Cole) Response (2)
Accurate, comprehensive, high-quality data and statistics are not the only central elements of evidence-based public health policy. Data and statistics help raise health awareness among the general public; they can also help achieve better social and health outcomes and reduce health inequalities (Guidi et al., 2021). Thus, integrating statistics and analytic techniques into public health research is a critical asset to the agency. It has resulted in important applications in various disciplines, such as epidemiology, economics, and the behavioural and social sciences. Since CDC’s inception, an essential function of the agency has been the compilation, analysis, and interpretation of statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve health. Data sources include vital statistics, medical, personal interviews, telephone and mail surveys, physical examinations, and laboratory testing. In addition, public health surveillance data have been used to characterize the magnitude and distribution of illness and injury; track health trends; and develop standard curves, such as growth charts (Sieber et al., 2006).
Statistics are essential in public health and is used all the time; it is a part of public health practices; as a public health practitioner, it would guide me to have a more objective approach in my discipline. It would also help me communicate factual findings to others, whether to the agency I am employed or to the population. This will help promote health and prevent people’s sicknesses.

References
Guidi, C.F, & Umbach, G. (2015). The importance of Statics in Public Health Sector Analysis. Retrieved September 11, 2021, from https://epthinktank.eu/2015/11/25/the-importance-of-statistics-in-public-health-sector-analysis/