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Abstract :
[en] Introduction: Although a large number of questionnaires on statistics self-efficacy (SE) and attitudes toward statistics (ATT) have been developed in the literature, none have been specifically designed to investigate biostatistical literacy (BSL) among health researchers.
Objectives: To determine 1) fundamental statistical knowledge and skills that health researchers should have and that should be assessed in terms of SE; 2) attitudes, i.e., any positive or negative dispositions that health researchers may have toward statistics.
Material and Methods: Based on current literature and BSL concept, 41 items for SE and 27 items for ATT were first formulated and submitted to 25 panellists to obtain consensus using a Delphi method. These panellists were selected among biostatisticians, psychometricians and health researchers from one of the country's French-speaking universities using a snowball sampling. They were asked to rate each item using a 7-Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree). Consensus threshold was set at median ≥ 6 and interquartile range (IQR) ≤ 1. The total of round was set at 3, each lasting 3 weeks.
Results: A total of 23 panellists (92%) took part in the first round. Consensus was reached on fundamental skills such as identifying a variable’s measurement scale, distinguishing between population and sample parameters, and differentiating correlation from causality. The panellists also emphasized that researchers must be able to understand and produce descriptive or basic inferential statistics, while recognizing their limitations with complex analyses and consulting a biostatistician when needed. This item, not initially proposed, was widely mentioned in the experts' comments and will be added in the second round (November 2025). Finally, the experts also agreed that researchers may feel some anxiety about complex analyses but must acknowledge the usefulness of statistics in their training.
Conclusion: These first findings highlight the importance of statistical competence and self-awareness in health research practice.
