
SummaryIn observational studies, potential confounders may distort the causal relationship between an exposure and an outcome. However, under some conditions, a causal dose–response curve can be recovered by using the G-computation formula. Most classical methods for estimating such curves when the exposure is continuous rely on restrictive parametric assumptions, which carry significant risk of model misspecification. Non-parametric estimation in this context is challenging because in a non-parametric model these curves cannot be estimated at regular rates. Many available non-parametric estimators are sensitive to the selection of certain tuning parameters, and performing valid inference with such estimators can be difficult. We propose a non-parametric estimator of a causal dose–response curve known to be monotone. We show that our proposed estimation procedure generalizes the classical least squares isotonic regression estimator of a monotone regression function. Specifically, it does not involve tuning parameters and is invariant to strictly monotone transformations of the exposure variable. We describe theoretical properties of our proposed estimator, including its irregular limit distribution and the potential for doubly robust inference. Furthermore, we illustrate its performance via numerical studies and use it to assess the relationship between body mass index and immune response in human immunodeficiency virus vaccine trials.
Methodology (stat.ME), FOS: Computer and information sciences, Statistics - Methodology
Methodology (stat.ME), FOS: Computer and information sciences, Statistics - Methodology
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 16 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
