11 Follow-up studies: life tables and person-years
In a follow-up study people enter observation at different times, are followed for different lengths of time, and leave for different reasons: the event of interest, death from another cause, migration, or the end of the study. Section 3.3 handled this by counting person-time and assuming a constant rate. This section relaxes that assumption in two ways. Life tables and the Kaplan–Meier estimator describe how risk accumulates with time without assuming any form for the hazard. Person-years analysis lets the rate vary with age and calendar time by splitting each person’s follow-up across bands of both.
11.1 Time scales and the Lexis diagram
11.2 The actuarial life table
11.3 The Kaplan–Meier estimator
11.4 Comparing survival: the log-rank test
11.5 The current life table and life expectancy
11.6 Problems
11.2 The actuarial life table
11.3 The Kaplan–Meier estimator
11.4 Comparing survival: the log-rank test
11.5 The current life table and life expectancy
11.6 Problems
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