Assessing mediation in cross-sectional stepped wedge cluster randomized trials

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Cao, Zhiqiang, Li, Fan
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Cao, Zhiqiang
Li, Fan
author_facet Cao, Zhiqiang
Li, Fan
contents Mediation analysis has been comprehensively studied for independent data but relatively little work has been done for correlated data, especially for the increasingly adopted stepped wedge cluster randomized trials (SW-CRTs). Motivated by challenges in underlying the effect mechanisms in pragmatic and implementation science clinical trials, we develop new methods for mediation analysis in SW-CRTs. Specifically, based on a linear and generalized linear mixed models, we demonstrate how to estimate the natural indirect effect and mediation proportion in typical SW-CRTs with four data types, including both continuous and binary mediators and outcomes. Furthermore, to address the emerging challenges in exposure-time treatment effect heterogeneity, we derive the mediation expressions in SW-CRTs when the total effect varies as a function of the exposure time. The cluster jackknife approach is considered for inference across all data types and treatment effect structures. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the finite-sample performances of proposed mediation estimators and demonstrate the proposed approach in a real data example. A user-friendly R package mediateSWCRT has been developed to facilitate the practical implementation of the estimators.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_15596
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Assessing mediation in cross-sectional stepped wedge cluster randomized trials
Cao, Zhiqiang
Li, Fan
Methodology
Mediation analysis has been comprehensively studied for independent data but relatively little work has been done for correlated data, especially for the increasingly adopted stepped wedge cluster randomized trials (SW-CRTs). Motivated by challenges in underlying the effect mechanisms in pragmatic and implementation science clinical trials, we develop new methods for mediation analysis in SW-CRTs. Specifically, based on a linear and generalized linear mixed models, we demonstrate how to estimate the natural indirect effect and mediation proportion in typical SW-CRTs with four data types, including both continuous and binary mediators and outcomes. Furthermore, to address the emerging challenges in exposure-time treatment effect heterogeneity, we derive the mediation expressions in SW-CRTs when the total effect varies as a function of the exposure time. The cluster jackknife approach is considered for inference across all data types and treatment effect structures. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the finite-sample performances of proposed mediation estimators and demonstrate the proposed approach in a real data example. A user-friendly R package mediateSWCRT has been developed to facilitate the practical implementation of the estimators.
title Assessing mediation in cross-sectional stepped wedge cluster randomized trials
topic Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.15596