12478 (v.2) Occupational Epidemiology and Biostatistics 282

Area:

School of Public Health

Credits:

25.0

Contact Hours:

4.0

Other:

1 x 4 Hours Weekly

Syllabus:

Introduction to occupational research methodology and data management. Causality and association. Design of occupational research studies. Data collection and analysis. Risk analysis. Computerised occupational health and safety information management systems. Applied occupational research methodology.

Unit Outcomes:

On completion of the biostatics section of this unit, students will have - Described various types of data/measurement. Used simple graphics and summary statistics in description of data. Obtained cross-tabulations and calculated relevant percentages. Interpreted scatterplots and correlation coefficients. Used the computer package to obtain the above analyses. Interpreted a set of data. On completion of the Epidemiology section of this unit, students will have - Calculated the most common measures of disease occurrence and risk. Identified the range of epidemiological study designs commonly used in an occupational setting. Identified the major sources of error in epidemiological studies. Described methods for avoiding or overcoming the effects of bias and random error in epidemiological studies. Conducted a critical appraisal of published epidemiological knowledge in relation to a specific hazard or disease. Critically reviewed the body of epidemiological knowledge in relation to a specific hazard or disease.

Text and references listed above are for your information only and current as of September 30, 2003. Please check with the unit coordinator for up-to-date information.

Unit References:

Worksafe Western Australia Website. www.safetyline.wa.gove.au Curtin University Library Website. lisweb.curtin.edu.au Workcover Western Australia Website. workcover.wa.gov.au

Unit Texts:

Biostatistics. Altman D.G., (1995), Practical Statistics for Medical Research, London, Chapman and Hall. Moore D.S., (1991), Statistics, NY, W.H. Freeman and Company. Moore D.S. and McCabe G.P., (1993), Introduction to the Practice of Statistics, 2nd ed, NY, W.H. Freeman and Company. Pagano M. and Gauvreau K., (1993), Principles of Biostatistics, Belmont, Duxbury Press. Shott S., (1990), Statistics for Health Professionals, Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders. Epidemiology. Christie D., (1988), A Guide to Occupational Epidemiology USA, CCH International. Olsen J., Merletti F.l., Snashall D. and Vuylsteek K.l., (1991), Searching for Causes of Work-Related Diseases - An Introduction to Epidemiology at the Worksite, Oxford, Oxford Medical Publications.

Unit Assessment Breakdown:

Epidemiology 50%. Biostatistics 60%. This is by grade/mark assessment.

Year	Location	Period	Internal	Area External	Central External
2004	BPI Intern'l Group S'pore	Trimester 3A		Y