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Matching and efficiency in cohort studies.

S Greenland1, H Morgenstern

  • 1Division of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health.

American Journal of Epidemiology
|January 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Matching in cohort studies can decrease efficiency, even when it doesn't reduce sample size or when the variable is a confounder. The decision to match depends on whether relative or absolute effects are being estimated.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Biostatistics

Background:

  • Textbook explanations often suggest matching improves cohort study efficiency.
  • Matching is a technique used to control for confounding variables in observational studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clarify the impact of matching on cohort study efficiency.
  • To differentiate cohort matching from blocking in randomized trials.
  • To provide criteria for predicting when cohort matching enhances efficiency.

Main Methods:

  • The study analyzes the effects of matching on different measures of effect (relative vs. absolute).
  • It compares cohort matching to blocking in randomized trials regarding covariate distributions.
  • It examines efficiency under additive and multiplicative models.

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Main Results:

  • Matching can reduce cohort study efficiency, contrary to common belief.
  • The impact of matching on efficiency can differ for relative and absolute effect measures.
  • Under additive models, matching generally improves efficiency and power; under multiplicative models, benefits are less consistent.

Conclusions:

  • Matching in cohort studies does not always improve efficiency and can sometimes decrease it.
  • The decision to match should consider the specific effect measure and statistical model.
  • Clear criteria are provided to predict the efficiency impact of cohort matching.