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European Journal of Epidemiology (2005) 20: 201 Springer 2005

BOOK REVIEW

Applied longitudinal data analysis for epidemiology:


A practical guide by J.W.R. Twisk

Scott M. Montgomery
Enheten klinisk epidemiologi, Karolinska sjukhuset M9:01, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

This book provides a practical introduction to some which eectively provide equivalents of both linear
important aspects of longitudinal data analysis for and logistic regression for longitudinal data.
both observational and experimental studies. The Why does longitudinal data analysis require
denition of longitudinal data used, is where the same methods such as Generalised Estimating Equations
outcomes are measured at several dierent time and Random Coecient Analysis rather than other,
points. The consequence of using this denition is more familiar, techniques? Because the more basic
that techniques using a single terminal event, such as techniques cannot capture and quantify the complex
death or onset of a chronic disease as their outcome, development of relationships between predictor and
including survival analysis, are outside the scope of outcome variables over time, central to studies of
this book. This is not really a limitation, as it allows many biological phenomena such as growth and
the book to focus on concepts and methods that are age-dependent variation in blood pressure. This book
all too often overlooked by epidemiologists and other oers practical advice on measuring associations that
researchers conducting longitudinal research. may change over time, where time is considered
Increasingly, standard statistical software packages continuously or categorically and there is also
provide the resources to conduct truly longitudinal coverage of time-lag eects. Such a longitudinal
analyses as described in this book, so more epide- approach allows investigation of variation both
miologists should be using these techniques to get within subjects and between groups over time.
more from their longitudinal material. Quantication of the stability of associations over
This book will appeal especially to those who time can be undertaken and this can form part of an
would like to use more appropriate statistics for assessment for longitudinal development of disease
longitudinal analysis without having to work through risks.
their entire mathematical derivation. Of course, no A problem that often plagues longitudinal research
book on statistics would be complete without a few is that of missing values. Of course this is a problem
equations, but they are sparingly used and shouldnt for cross sectional studies too, but repeated measures
deter the mathematically challenged. An attractive often compound diculties associated with missing
feature is that examples are illustrated using output data. The book discusses methods to assess if
from the relevant software packages to aid inter- patterns of missing data are independent of predictor
pretation of results and there is a section on software or outcome variables and suggest some strategies to
covering procedures in STATA, SAS, SPSS, S-PLUS minimise their impact on the results, including
and MLwiN. imputation techniques.
After an introduction to some basic concepts in At present, many epidemiological researchers do
longitudinal research, the book goes on to discuss not exploit fully their longitudinal data. This is
techniques for investigating the associations of pre- because they employ cross-sectional techniques or
dictive measures with outcomes at repeated time methods that only poorly measure changing associ-
points. There are separate sections for continuous ations over time. Most of this book is written in a
and dichotomous outcomes; beginning with simpler style that will be understood by non-statisticians and
approaches and moving on to more sophisticated it could encourage fuller use of longitudinal data by
techniques. There is also some coverage of the epidemiologists.
potentially more complicated analyses using ordered
categorical outcomes, that can be modelled using Address for correspondence: Scott M. Montgomery,
methods equivalent to polytomous or multinomial Enheten for klinisk epidemiologi, Karolinska
logistic regression. While some more basic and sjukhuset M9:01, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76
familiar methods are coved, the most comprehen- Stockholm, Sweden
sively discussed techniques are Generalised Estimat- Phone: +46 (0) 851779325; Fax: +46 (0) 851779304
ing Equations and Random Coecient Analysis, E-mail: Scott.Montgomery@medks.ki.se

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