Marginal modeling of cluster-period means and intraclass correlations in stepped wedge designs with binary outcomes.

ABSTRACT: Stepped wedge cluster randomized trials (SW-CRTs) with binary outcomes are increasingly used in prevention and implementation studies. Marginal models represent a flexible tool for analyzing SW-CRTs with population-averaged interpretations, but the joint estimation of the mean and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) can be computationally intensive due to large cluster-period sizes. Motivated by the need for marginal inference in SW-CRTs, we propose a simple and efficient estimating equations approach to analyze cluster-period means. We show that the quasi-score for the marginal mean defined from individual-level observations can be reformulated as the quasi-score for the same marginal mean defined from the cluster-period means. An additional mapping of the individual-level ICCs int

SUBMITTER: Li F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9291643 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature