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Unit of study_

BSTA5003: Health Indicators and Health Surveys (HIS)

Semester 1, 2024 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

On completion of this unit students should be able to derive and compare population measures of mortality, illness, fertility and survival, be aware of the main sources of routinely collected health data and their advantages and disadvantages, and be able to collect primary data by a well-designed survey and analyse and interpret it appropriately. Content covered in this unit includes: routinely collected health-related data; quantitative methods in demography, including standardisation and life tables; health differentials; design and analysis of population health surveys including the roles of stratification, clustering and weighting.

Unit details and rules

Unit code BSTA5003
Academic unit Public Health
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
BSTA5100 or BSTA5001
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Kylie-Ann Mallitt, kylie-ann.mallitt@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Assignment 4
Apply methods of survey design
25% Formal exam period
Due date: 03 Jun 2024 at 23:59
4 A4 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO5 LO6
Assignment Assignment 1
Apply demographic methods
25% Week 04
Due date: 18 Mar 2024 at 23:59
4 A4 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2
Assignment Assignment 2
Create a 20 question survey, short essays on survey development methods
25% Week 09
Due date: 29 Apr 2024 at 23:59
6 A4 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4
Assignment Assignment 3
Apply methods of survey design
25% Week 11
Due date: 13 May 2024 at 23:59
4 A4 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO5 LO6

Assessment summary

Assignment 1: Apply demographic methods and interpret results

Assignment 2: Create a short health related survey and provide written advice on the implementation of survey methods

Assignment 3: Apply survey methods to design an efficent survey and analyse survey data

Assignment 4: Apply survey methods to design an efficient survey and analyse survey data.

Assessment criteria

Result code

Result name

Mark range

Description

HD

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

DI

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

CR

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

PS

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

FA

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Standard BCA policy for late penalties for submitted work is a 5% deduction from the earned mark for each day the assessment is late, up to a maximum of 50%.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to health indicators and standardisation Individual study (12 hr) LO1
Week 02 Life tables Individual study (12 hr) LO1
Week 03 Routinely collected data and measurement of morbidity Individual study (12 hr) LO2
Week 04 Design of sample surveys Individual study (12 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 05 Questionnaire administration, testing and reporting of results Individual study (12 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 06 Simple random sampling Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 07 Systematic sampling Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 08 Stratified random sampling Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 09 Ratio and regression estimation Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 10 One stage cluster sampling Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 11 Two stage cluster sampling Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 12 Weighting Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 13 Variance estimation in complex sample surveys Individual study (12 hr) LO5 LO6

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Levy PS and Lemeshow S. Sampling of Populations: Methods and Applications, Fourth Edition, Hoboken: Wiley, 2008

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. derive and compare population measures of mortality, illness, fertility and survival, using basic demographic tools such as life tables and age standardisation
  • LO2. access the main sources of routinely collected health data and choose the appropriate one, taking into account their advantages and disadvantages
  • LO3. design a valid and reliable health survey to collect primary data
  • LO4. choose the most appropriate mode of delivery for a survey
  • LO5. design an efficient sampling strategy to obtain a random sample of the target population
  • LO6. estimate means, totals and proportions from survey data, taking into account the sample design, and analyse, interpret and present these results

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

HIS was last delivered in Semester 1 2023. In response to student feedback in 2023, this year we will update unit content in relation to survey collection mechanisms.

This unit is delivered as part of the Biostatistics Collaboration of Australia (BCA) program.

 

Software requirements

Students will need to have access to either R or Stata to complete exercises and assignments. 

 

Required mathematical background

Students should already be familiar with the Normal and binomial distributions, their mean and variance, estimation of means and proportions with confidence intervals, and the comparison of means and proportions between two groups using hypothesis tests (i.e. t-tests and chi-squared tests for 2×2 tables).

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

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