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Hypothesis testing of time‐dependent recurrent events
Author(s) -
Niland Joyce C.,
Thomas Duncan,
Azen Stanley P.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
statistics in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.996
H-Index - 183
eISSN - 1097-0258
pISSN - 0277-6715
DOI - 10.1002/sim.4780060606
Subject(s) - categorical variable , poisson distribution , statistics , chi square test , generalization , autocorrelation , poisson regression , contingency table , mathematics , overdispersion , medicine , econometrics , count data , population , mathematical analysis , environmental health
This paper examines the problem of hypothesis testing for comparison of time‐dependent recurrent events between categorical exposure groups. We compare three methods (a summary chi‐square test based on a generalization of the simple Poisson distribution, a chi‐square test based on a generalization of the compound Poisson distribution, and a test on risk scores based on individual observed to expected ratios), when the dependent variable may be autocorrelated within an individual, and disease risk may be heterogeneous among subjects. We present a simulation study and an application to a cohort of sickle cell anaemia patients. With autocorrelation or heterogeneous risk present, the simple chi‐square test is inappropriate, while the other two methods perform well. An attraction of the risk score method is its relative ease of application.