Title
Statistical learning techniques applied to epidemiology: a simulated case-control comparison study with logistic regression.
Abstract
When investigating covariate interactions and group associations with standard regression analyses, the relationship between the response variable and exposure may be difficult to characterize. When the relationship is nonlinear, linear modeling techniques do not capture the nonlinear information content. Statistical learning (SL) techniques with kernels are capable of addressing nonlinear problems without making parametric assumptions. However, these techniques do not produce findings relevant for epidemiologic interpretations. A simulated case-control study was used to contrast the information embedding characteristics and separation boundaries produced by a specific SL technique with logistic regression (LR) modeling representing a parametric approach. The SL technique was comprised of a kernel mapping in combination with a perceptron neural network. Because the LR model has an important epidemiologic interpretation, the SL method was modified to produce the analogous interpretation and generate odds ratios for comparison.The SL approach is capable of generating odds ratios for main effects and risk factor interactions that better capture nonlinear relationships between exposure variables and outcome in comparison with LR.The integration of SL methods in epidemiology may improve both the understanding and interpretation of complex exposure/disease relationships.
Year
DOI
Venue
2011
10.1186/1471-2105-12-37
BMC Bioinformatics
Keywords
Field
DocType
linear model,bioinformatics,risk factors,logistic regression,information content,algorithms,odd ratio,neural network,case control study,microarrays
Covariate,Nonlinear system,Regression,Linear model,Computer science,Parametric statistics,Artificial intelligence,Bioinformatics,Artificial neural network,Perceptron,Logistic regression,Machine learning
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
12
1
1471-2105
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
9
0.36
1
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
John J. Heine1296.07
Walker H. Land Jr.25011.04
Kathleen M Egan390.36