Meta-Regression in Stata
The Stata Journal Promoting communications on statistics and StataPublished 1 December 2008Open access
Roger Harbord, Julian P. T. Higgins
Citations876
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.65
SNIP1.90
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
A revised version of the metareg command, which performs meta-analysis regression (meta-regression) on study-level summary data, is presented, which involves improvements to the estimation methods and the addition of an option to use a permutation test to estimate p-values.
Abstract
We present a revised version of the metareg command, which performs meta-analysis regression (meta-regression) on study-level summary data. The major revisions involve improvements to the estimation methods and the addition of an option to use a permutation test to estimate p-values, including an adjustment for multiple testing. We have also made additions to the output, added an option to produce a graph, and included support for the predict command. Stata 8.0 or above is required.
Keywords
MathematicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B (Statistical Methodology)Controlling the False Discovery Rate: A Practical and Powerful Approach to Multiple Testing
108,736 Citations1995Yoav Benjamini, Yosef Hochberg
BMJMeasuring inconsistency in meta-analyses
62,756 Citations2003Julian P. T. Higgins, Simon G. Thompson +2 more
A new quantity is developed, I 2, which the authors believe gives a better measure of the consistency between trials in a meta-analysis, which is susceptible to the number of trials included in the meta- analysis.
Controlled Clinical TrialsMeta-analysis in clinical trials
39,316 Citations1986Rebecca DerSimonian, Nan M. Laird
This paper examines eight published reviews each reporting results from several related trials in order to evaluate the efficacy of a certain treatment for a specified medical condition and suggests a simple noniterative procedure for characterizing the distribution of treatment effects in a series of studies.
Practical Meta-Analysis
8,923 Citations2000Mark W. Lipsey, David B. Wilson
This paper presents a meta-analysis procedure called “Meta-Analysis Interpretation for Meta-Analysis Selecting, Computing and Coding the Effect Size Statistic and its applications to Data Management Analysis Issues and Strategies.
Randomization, Bootstrap and Monte Carlo Methods in Biology
4,208 Citations2018Bryan F. J. Manly
Statistics in MedicineHow should meta‐regression analyses be undertaken and interpreted?
2,975 Citations2002Simon G. Thompson, Julian P. T. Higgins
The examples considered in this paper show the tension between the scientific rationale for using meta‐regression and the difficult interpretative problems to which such analyses are prone.
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (Statistics in Society)A Re-Evaluation of Random-Effects Meta-Analysis
2,509 Citations2008Julian P. T. Higgins, Simon G. Thompson +1 more
It is suggested that random-effects meta-analyses as currently conducted often fail to provide the key results, and the extent to which distribution-free, classical and Bayesian approaches can provide satisfactory methods is investigated.
Journal of the American Statistical AssociationMaximum Likelihood Approaches to Variance Component Estimation and to Related Problems
2,447 Citations1977David A. Harville
Statistics in MedicineImproved tests for a random effects meta‐regression with a single covariate
1,997 Citations2003Guido Knapp, Joachim Härtung
This work examines the commonly used tests on the parameters in the random effects meta-regression with one covariate and proposes some new test statistics based on an improved estimator of the variance of the parameter estimates based on some theoretical considerations.
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer InstituteAssessing the Probability That a Positive Report is False: An Approach for Molecular Epidemiology Studies
1,779 Citations2004Sholom Wacholder, Stephen J. Chanock +3 more
This commentary shows how to assess the FPRP and how to use it to decide whether a finding is deserving of attention or "noteworthy" and shows how this approach can lead to improvements in the design, analysis, and interpretation of molecular epidemiology studies.
Statistics in MedicineExplaining heterogeneity in meta-analysis: a comparison of methods
1,703 Citations1999Simon G. Thompson, Stephen J. Sharp
BMJSifting the evidence---what's wrong with significance tests? Another comment on the role of statistical methods
1,496 Citations2001Jonathan A C Sterne
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B (Statistical Methodology)Strong Control, Conservative Point Estimation and Simultaneous Conservative Consistency of False Discovery Rates: A Unified Approach
1,444 Citations2003John D. Storey, Jonathan Taylor +1 more
Journal of the American Statistical AssociationParametric Empirical Bayes Inference: Theory and Applications
1,393 Citations1983Carl N. Morris
Statistics in MedicineControlling the risk of spurious findings from meta‐regression
1,249 Citations2004Julian P. T. Higgins, Simon G. Thompson
It is demonstrated in particular that fixed effect meta‐regression is likely to produce seriously misleading results in the presence of heterogeneity, and the permutation test is recommended before a statistically significant relationship is claimed from a standard meta-regression analysis.
The Stata Journal Promoting communications on statistics and StataMetan: Fixed- and Random-Effects Meta-Analysis
1,043 Citations2008Ross J. Harris, Jonathan J Deeks +4 more
Updates of the meta-analysis command metan and options that have been added since the command's original publication are described, including version 9 graphics with flexible display options, the ability to meta-analyze precalculated effect estimates, and theAbility to analyze subgroups by using the by() option.
BMJThe effectiveness of exercise as an intervention in the management of depression: systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials
998 Citations2001Debbie A. Lawlor, Stephen W Hopker
Statistics in MedicineA random‐effects regression model for meta‐analysis
914 Citations1995Catherine S. Berkey, David C. Hoaglin +2 more
The random-effects regression method performs well in the context of a meta-analysis of the efficacy of a vaccine for the prevention of tuberculosis, where certain factors are thought to modify vaccine efficacy.
Journal of Health Services Research & PolicyStatistical heterogeneity in systematic reviews of clinical trials: a critical appraisal of guidelines and practice
761 Citations2002Julian P. T. Higgins, Simon Thompson +2 more
Recommendations that address practical issues are required to reduce the risk of spurious findings from investigations of heterogeneity, rather than simply adopting a cautious approach to their interpretation, unless a large number of studies is available.
Statistics in MedicineRecent developments in meta‐analysis
589 Citations2007Alex J. Sutton, Julian P. T. Higgins
Highlights of recent developments in meta‐analysis in medical research are reviewed, outlining in particular how emphasis has been placed on heterogeneity and random‐effects analyses and extension of ideas to complex evidence synthesis.
Statistics in MedicineA comparison of heterogeneity variance estimators in combining results of studies
410 Citations2006Kurex Sidik, Jeffrey N. Jonkman
The two estimators MVvc and EB are found to be the most accurate in general, particularly when the heterogeneity variance is moderate to large, particularly during the period when the number of studies is large.
Journal of the American Statistical AssociationBayes Methods for Combining the Results of Cancer Studies in Humans and other Species
185 Citations1983William DuMouchel, Jeffrey E. Harris
A class of Bayesian statistical methods for interspecies extrapolation of dose-response functions, using a system of hierarchical prior distributions similar to that of Lindley and Smith (1972), is proposed for the estimation of human lung cancer risk from various environmental emissions.
BMJMeta-analysis: Beyond the grand mean?
174 Citations1997George Davey Smith, Matthias Egger +1 more
This article examines how to use meta-analysis to do more than simply combine the results from all the individual trials into a single effect estimate, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of performing subgroup analyses.
The LancetCan meta-analysis help target interventions at individuals most likely to benefit?
165 Citations2005Simon G. Thompson, Julian P. T. Higgins
Although meta-analyses generally summarise an intervention's effect as a relative risk reduction, the groups of patients with the greatest absolute risk reduction have the most to gain, so analyses of individual patient data from trials are necessary.
Statistical Methods in Medical ResearchControversies in meta-analysis: the case of the trials of serum cholesterol reduction
119 Citations1993SG Thompson
It is concluded that the long-term benefits of serum cholesterol reduction on the risk of heart disease have been seriously underestimated in some previous meta-analyses, while the evidence for adverse effects on other causes of death have been misleadingly exaggerated.
The Stata Journal Promoting communications on statistics and StataMultiple—test Procedures and Smile Plots
113 Citations2003Roger Newson, The ALSPAC Study Team
A smileplot summarizes a set of multiple analyses just as a Cochrane forest plot summarizes a meta-analysis, and defines a boundary between data mining and data dredging.
The LancetCan meta-analysis help target interventions at individuals most likely to benefit?
92 Citations2005Simon Thompson, Julian P. T. Higgins