Estimation of the relative excess risk due to interaction and associated confidence bounds

Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Mar 15;169(6):756-60. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwn411. Epub 2009 Feb 11.

Abstract

The relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) provides a useful metric of departure from additivity of effects on a relative risk scale. In this paper, the authors show that RERI is identical to the product term in a linear odds ratio or a linear relative risk model. SAS and STATA codes are provided for fitting a linear odds ratio model that directly parameterizes RERI. In addition, this paper presents a method for obtaining likelihood-based 95% confidence bound estimates for RERI. The authors show that likelihood-based confidence intervals may differ substantially from the asymptotic confidence interval estimates advocated by previous authors. The approach presented in this paper should facilitate estimation of RERI and associated likelihood-based confidence bounds, by using standard statistical packages.

MeSH terms

  • Confidence Intervals
  • Epidemiologic Methods*
  • Humans
  • Likelihood Functions
  • Logistic Models
  • Odds Ratio
  • Research Design
  • Risk*