Question 1

Which of the following best describes the primary goal of biostatistics in public health research?

Accepted Answer

To analyze and interpret data to make informed decisions about health and medicine.

Question 2

In the Framingham Heart Study, which type of study design was used to investigate risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

Accepted Answer

Prospective cohort study

Question 3

Which of the following statements about causation and correlation is correct?

Accepted Answer

Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard for establishing causation.

Question 4

A researcher wants to study the prevalence of asthma in different metropolitan areas using the BRFSS23 dataset. Which R command would best help summarize the mean BMI for each sex in Chicago, removing missing data?

Accepted Answer

$$tapply(chicago\$$'_BMI5', chicago\$$SEXVAR, mean, na.rm=TRUE)$$

Question 5

Which sampling method is most appropriate for conducting a household survey in a large metropolitan area with diverse neighborhoods?

Accepted Answer

Cluster sampling

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a categorical (nominal) variable?

Accepted Answer

Sex (male/female)

Question 7

A cross-sectional study design is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Examining a sample at a single point in time to assess associations.

Question 8

Which of the following is a potential issue when using non-randomized study designs?

Accepted Answer

Confounding variables may bias the results.

Question 9

In statistical inference, why is sampling critical?

Accepted Answer

Because a representative sample allows us to generalize findings to the population.

Question 10

Which R command would you use to create a histogram of the variable Days Physical Health in the BRFSS23 dataset?

Accepted Answer

$$hist(BRFSS23\$$'_PHYSHLTH')$

Question 11

Which of the following best describes a statistic in the context of biostatistics?

Accepted Answer

A measurement about a sample drawn from the population.

Question 12

Suppose you are analyzing the relationship between smoking and lung cancer. Which study design would provide the strongest evidence for causation?

Accepted Answer

Randomized controlled trial

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of an ordinal variable?

Accepted Answer

Education level (1=HS Grad, 2=Attended College, 3=College Grad)

Question 14

If you want to visualize the frequency of asthma cases in Chicago using R, which command would be most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

$$barplot(table(chicago\$$'_CASTHM1'))$

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a feature of a randomized controlled trial (RCT)?

Accepted Answer

Subjects select their own treatment group.

Question 16

A sample is considered representative if:

Accepted Answer

All subjects in the population have an equal chance of being selected.

Question 17

Which of the following R commands would you use to get the counts of each sex in the BRFSS23 dataset?

Accepted Answer

$$table(BRFSS23\$$SEXVAR)$

Question 18

Which of the following is a key reason for using stratified sampling in a survey?

Accepted Answer

To ensure that subgroups within the population are adequately represented.

Question 19

Which of the following is a continuous variable?

Accepted Answer

BMI measured in $$kg/m^2$$

Question 20

Which of the following best describes the process of statistical inference?

Accepted Answer

Making predictions about a population parameter based on repeated random samples.

Biostatistics and Public Health: Week 1 Study Guide

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards