Inverse probability weighting is an effective method to address selection bias during the analysis of high dimensional data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick M. Carry ◽  
Lauren A. Vanderlinden ◽  
Fran Dong ◽  
Teresa Buckner ◽  
Elizabeth Litkowski ◽  
...  
2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 691-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apostolos Gkatzionis ◽  
Stephen Burgess

Abstract Background Selection bias affects Mendelian randomization investigations when selection into the study sample depends on a collider between the genetic variant and confounders of the risk factor–outcome association. However, the relative importance of selection bias for Mendelian randomization compared with other potential biases is unclear. Methods We performed an extensive simulation study to assess the impact of selection bias on a typical Mendelian randomization investigation. We considered inverse probability weighting as a potential method for reducing selection bias. Finally, we investigated whether selection bias may explain a recently reported finding that lipoprotein(a) is not a causal risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in individuals with previous coronary heart disease. Results Selection bias had a severe impact on bias and Type 1 error rates in our simulation study, but only when selection effects were large. For moderate effects of the risk factor on selection, bias was generally small and Type 1 error rate inflation was not considerable. Inverse probability weighting ameliorated bias when the selection model was correctly specified, but increased bias when selection bias was moderate and the model was misspecified. In the example of lipoprotein(a), strong genetic associations and strong confounder effects on selection mean the reported null effect on cardiovascular mortality could plausibly be explained by selection bias. Conclusions Selection bias can adversely affect Mendelian randomization investigations, but its impact is likely to be less than other biases. Selection bias is substantial when the effects of the risk factor and confounders on selection are particularly large.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 2221-2238
Author(s):  
Sarah B Peskoe ◽  
David Arterburn ◽  
Karen J Coleman ◽  
Lisa J Herrinton ◽  
Michael J Daniels ◽  
...  

While electronic health records data provide unique opportunities for research, numerous methodological issues must be considered. Among these, selection bias due to incomplete/missing data has received far less attention than other issues. Unfortunately, standard missing data approaches (e.g. inverse-probability weighting and multiple imputation) generally fail to acknowledge the complex interplay of heterogeneous decisions made by patients, providers, and health systems that govern whether specific data elements in the electronic health records are observed. This, in turn, renders the missing-at-random assumption difficult to believe in standard approaches. In the clinical literature, the collection of decisions that gives rise to the observed data is referred to as the data provenance. Building on a recently-proposed framework for modularizing the data provenance, we develop a general and scalable framework for estimation and inference with respect to regression models based on inverse-probability weighting that allows for a hierarchy of missingness mechanisms to better align with the complex nature of electronic health records data. We show that the proposed estimator is consistent and asymptotically Normal, derive the form of the asymptotic variance, and propose two consistent estimators. Simulations show that naïve application of standard methods may yield biased point estimates, that the proposed estimators have good small-sample properties, and that researchers may have to contend with a bias-variance trade-off as they consider how to handle missing data. The proposed methods are motivated by an on-going, electronic health records-based study of bariatric surgery.


2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 351-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro Alonso ◽  
María Seguí-Gómez ◽  
Jokin de Irala ◽  
Almudena Sánchez-Villegas ◽  
Juan José Beunza ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingling Li ◽  
Changyu Shen ◽  
Xiaochun Li ◽  
James M Robins

We review the class of inverse probability weighting (IPW) approaches for the analysis of missing data under various missing data patterns and mechanisms. The IPW methods rely on the intuitive idea of creating a pseudo-population of weighted copies of the complete cases to remove selection bias introduced by the missing data. However, different weighting approaches are required depending on the missing data pattern and mechanism. We begin with a uniform missing data pattern (i.e. a scalar missing indicator indicating whether or not the full data is observed) to motivate the approach. We then generalise to more complex settings. Our goal is to provide a conceptual overview of existing IPW approaches and illustrate the connections and differences among these approaches.


Circulation ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 135 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Leann Long ◽  
George Howard ◽  
Suzanne Judd ◽  
Jennifer Manly ◽  
Leslie McClure ◽  
...  

Introduction: When data are missing, analysts often choose to perform ‘complete case’ analysis, restricting statistical analysis to those participants with all necessary fields completed. However, this analysis is subject to selection bias if those participants excluded are somehow inherently different from those included. One approach to address the potential selection bias is inverse probability weighting, where participants with complete data are weighted to reflect the original population. We compare estimated racial disparities in hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy using complete cases to those estimates from inverse probability weighted analysis. Methods: The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study enrolled 30,183 participants aged 45+ between 2003 and 2007 to study racial and geographic differences in stroke and cardiovascular health. When the second in-home visits were conducted, 18% (5542) of participants had died and 23% (7071) of participants had withdrawn. For the baseline population, the probabilities of being a complete case are estimated through logistic regression models using baseline characteristics. These predicted probabilities are inverted to create the weights used in statistical analysis, such that the complete participants are weighted to represent the enrolled population. Through logistic regression, we estimate the association between race and hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy at the second in-home visit for complete data and compare these results to the results from inverse probability weighted analysis. All models are adjusted for sex, age and region. Results: The logistic models for dropout and death have low and moderate predictive abilities (c-statistics 0.602 and 0.811, respectively). For incident hypertension, the estimated odds ratio comparing blacks to whites differs little between the complete case (1.87 (1.66, 2.10)) and the weighted (1.83 (1.61, 2.09)) analysis. For left ventricular hypertrophy, the estimated odds ratio comparing blacks to whites changes little from the complete case analysis (1.54 (1.32, 1.79)) to the weighted analysis (1.45 (1.21, 1.74)). Discussion: Estimated racial inequalities in the odds of incident hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy were similar in the complete case and inverse probability weighting analyses, indicating little evidence of selection bias in the estimation of racial inequalities for these outcomes.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402097999
Author(s):  
Aloyce R. Kaliba ◽  
Anne G. Gongwe ◽  
Kizito Mazvimavi ◽  
Ashagre Yigletu

In this study, we use double-robust estimators (i.e., inverse probability weighting and inverse probability weighting with regression adjustment) to quantify the effect of adopting climate-adaptive improved sorghum varieties on household and women dietary diversity scores in Tanzania. The two indicators, respectively, measure access to broader food groups and micronutrient and macronutrient availability among children and women of reproductive age. The selection of sample households was through a multistage sampling technique, and the population was all households in the sorghum-producing regions of Central, Northern, and Northwestern Tanzania. Before data collection, enumerators took part in a 1-week training workshop and later collected data from 822 respondents using a structured questionnaire. The main results from the study show that the adoption of improved sorghum seeds has a positive effect on both household and women dietary diversity scores. Access to quality food groups improves nutritional status, food security adequacy, and general welfare of small-scale farmers in developing countries. Agricultural projects that enhance access to improved seeds are, therefore, likely to generate a positive and sustainable effect on food security and poverty alleviation in sorghum-producing regions of Tanzania.


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