Abstract Marginal structural models (MSM) with inverse probability weighting (IPW) are used to estimate causal effects of time-varying treatments, but can result in erratic finite-sample performance when there is low overlap in covariate distributions across different treatment patterns....

Abstract Objectives: The current study aims to estimate the causal effect of increasing levels of urbanisation on mean SBP, and to decompose the direct and indirect effects via hypothesised mediators. Methods: We analysed data from 5, 840 adults (≥ 18 years) from the Andhra Pradesh Children...

Abstract When estimating population attributable fractions (PAF), it is common to partition a naturally continuous exposure into a categorical risk factor. While prior risk factor categorization can help estimation and interpretation, it can result in underestimation of the disease burden...

Abstract : In this article, we discuss causal inference when there are multiple versions of treatment. The potential outcomes framework, as articulated by Rubin, makes an assumption of no multiple versions of treatment, and here we discuss an extension of this potential outcomes framework to...

Abstract Estimation of the causal dose–response curve is an old problem in statistics. In a non-parametric model, if the treatment is continuous, the dose–response curve is not a pathwise differentiable parameter, and no -consistent estimator is available. However, the risk of a candidate...

Abstract Adjusting for a balancing score is sufficient for bias reduction when estimating causal effects including the average treatment effect and effect among the treated. Estimators that adjust for the propensity score in a nonparametric way, such as matching on an estimate of the propensity...

Abstract Suppose that we observe a population of causally connected units. On each unit at each time-point on a grid we observe a set of other units the unit is potentially connected with, and a unit-specific longitudinal data structure consisting of baseline and time-dependent covariates, a...

Abstract There is an ongoing controversy over whether epidural analgesia for women in labor increases the probability of Caesarean section. Previous research compared results from three methods for estimating the effect of epidural analgesia on the probability of Caesarean section: a propensity...

Abstract While child and adolescent obesity is a serious public health concern, few studies have utilized parameters based on the causal inference literature to examine the potential impacts of early intervention. The purpose of this analysis was to estimate the causal effects of early...

Abstract This paper reviews concepts, principles, and tools that have led to a coherent mathematical theory that unifies the graphical, structural, and potential outcome approaches to causal inference. The theory provides solutions to a number of pending problems in causal analysis, including...