Survival Analysis & Regression for Rates

This subject presents methods for the analysis of data where outcome events occur over time, particularly in the context of a cohort study or more general longitudinal designs. It starts with the estimation of constant rates and two-group comparison of rates using the rate ratio, and progresses to the use of life tables and the Kaplan-Meier procedures to estimate a survival curve when rates are not assumed to be constant over time and (possibly right-censored) time-to-event data are available. Much of the subject is devoted to studying Poisson and proportional hazards (Cox) regression methods that allow adjustment for confounding variables when comparing rates between two or more primary exposure groups. Emphasis is on practical application and interpretation of results in the context of standard epidemiological study designs and particularly longitudinal studies. Practical work estimating rates and fitting models to data will use the statistical package Stata.