PBHL20003 - Epidemiology and Statistics

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces the essential knowledge required for your career in the health sector. It introduces epidemiological and statistical principles, concepts, and skills that form the foundation of public health and evidence-based practice. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states/events in specified populations, and the application of study findings in the prevention and control of health problems in the community. It addresses the 5Ws: What (health states/events), Who (people), Where (places), When (time), and Why/How (causes, risk factors, and modes of disease transmission) of health-related states (not just diseases!) in populations. The unit provides an introduction to the analysis and interpretation of numerical data for epidemiological study and reporting. You will also learn essential statistical concepts and methods to estimate the magnitude of disease risk in the community, which forms the basis for public health research, practice, and decision-making processes. This unit will focus on ethical principles used to maintain and protect the Data Sovereignty of First Nations People and other health research populations. In this unit, you will be introduced to knowledge translation frameworks and consider their utility and guidance for effective dissemination of epidemiological findings, disease prevention, control, and improvement in health outcomes in the population.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2025

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Melbourne
Online
Sydney

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 50%
2. Written Assessment 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

To view Past Exams,
please login
Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 86.49% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 22.98% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: SUTE
Feedback
Both positive and negative feedback was given regarding content to real-world applications.
Recommendation
Continue to embed activities related to the topic to encourage application of theoretical learning, with a focus on current relevant issues in epidemiology.
Action Taken
Lecture content and weekly topics were revisited to ensure sequential coherence, incorporating topic-relevant examples drawn from real-world contexts and academic literature. Model answers to tutorial exercises were developed and shared among teaching staff across campuses to maintain consistency. Tutorial answer sheets were uploaded to Moodle at the end of each week. A lab-based computer practical session was introduced to support learning and practice in statistical data analysis and interpretation using SPSS software.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Positive feedback related to lecturer passion for the discipline and challenging students to think and question.
Recommendation
Continue to foster a learning culture of enquiry.
Action Taken
Continue to foster a learning culture of enquiry.
Source: Unit Coordinator
Feedback
There were a high proportion of reported academic integrity cases.
Recommendation
Review current Assessment structure.
Action Taken
Assessment structure reviewed and adopted a more objective evaluation format in contrast to the earlier narrative-based approaches. Assessment topics were carefully aligned with weekly teaching content, particularly lectures and tutorials, enabling students to better relate to the material covered in class. Students received clear instructions regarding the format and expected responses for each assessment task. Marking criteria were meticulously designed to help students understand the key areas to focus on in order to achieve better grades. Additionally, markers were provided with detailed instructions, model answer sheets, and participated in moderation meetings to ensure consistency in marking procedures. These efforts resulted in significant reduction in academic integrity cases.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Add additional computer lab time.
Recommendation
Additional computer labratory time will be considered for the next offering.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a foundation level knowledge of epidemiology and statistics, and their application in public health
  2. Apply epidemiological methods and measures to identify and document the occurrence and patterns of disease in a public health context, and their relationship with determinants of health
  3. Recognise the differences between social and traditional epidemiology, and between endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases, relating them to population and environmental factors
  4. Apply statistical methods, including descriptive and inferential statistics, in the analysis of epidemiological data
  5. Critically appraise and interpret epidemiological studies, including study methods, analyses, outcomes, and their relevance to public health practice
  6. Apply ethical principles in population health research related to Indigenous Data Sovereignty that reflects the rights and responsiveness of First Nations People when using, collecting, analysing, presenting, and interpreting epidemiological data

Not applicable

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Written Assessment • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Knowledge • • • • • •
2 - Communication • • • • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • • • •
4 - Research • • • • •
5 - Self-management • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • • • • • •
7 - Leadership • •
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8