Introduction
You are probably asking yourself the question, "When and where will I use statistics in my career?" If you read any health journal, watch a public health briefing, or use the Internet to research clinical outcomes, you will see statistical information. There are statistics about disease prevalence, athletic performance, hospital readmission rates, and the efficacy of new exercise protocols. Typically, when you read a peer-reviewed study or analyze a community health report, you are given sample information. With this information, you may make a decision about the correctness of a clinical claim, the safety of a supplement, or the validity of a "health fact." Statistical methods can help you make the "best educated guess" when designing a patient’s rehabilitation plan or a city's wellness initiative.
Since you will undoubtedly be given statistical information throughout your career as a practitioner or researcher, you need to know some techniques for analyzing that information thoughtfully. Think about interpreting a patient's metabolic data or managing a public health intervention budget. Think about your chosen profession. The fields of kinesiology, physical therapy, epidemiology, sports nutrition, and occupational health require a deep understanding of statistics to ensure evidence-based practice.
Included in this chapter are the basic ideas and words of probability and statistics. You will soon understand that statistics and probability work together to help us understand human movement and population health. You will also learn how clinical and field data are gathered and how "good" data—which can lead to life-saving health policies—can be distinguished from "bad" data