Most community health assessments involve the analysis of some type of population-based data. However, there are many different data sources and statistical techniques that can be used. The question then becomes, which statistical sources are most appropriate for describing health problems? In short, it is essential for you to review some of the basic statistical techniques used in these analyses.

Utilizing resources such as interviews of key staff, documents at your local government health offices, and the Internet, compile your observations about the types of statistics used in describing health problems within your community. Based on your observations and understanding, respond to the following:

• Examine and explain the types of statistics used in describing health problems.
• Describe an odds ratio.
• Describe relative risk.
• Describe a confidence interval (CI).