Choice and application of time scale selection for Cox proportional hazards regression model in cohort studies

VernacularTitle:队列研究资料分析中Cox比例风险回归模型的时间尺度选择和应用
Author: Zhuoying LI ¹ ; Qiuming SHEN ; Jiayi TUO ; Dandan TANG ; Yuxuan XIAO ; Longgang ZHAO ; Yongbing XIANG
Author Information

1. 复旦大学公共卫生学院，上海　200032
Keywords: Cohort study; Cox proportional hazards regression model; Risk factor; Time scale
From: Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2022;43(12):2002-2007
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Cox proportional hazards regression model (Cox model) is the most commonly used multivariate approach in time-to-event data analysis. A vital issue in fitting Cox model is choosing the appropriate time scale related to the occurrence of the outcome events. However, few domestic studies have focused on selecting and applying time scales for Cox model in the analysis of cohort study data. This study briefly introduced and compared several time scales in the reports from literature; and used data from the Shanghai Women's Health Study to illustrate the impact of different time scales on data analysis results, using the association between central obesity and the risk of liver cancer as an example. On this basis, several suggestions on selecting time scales in Cox model are proposed to provide a reference for the analysis of cohort study data.