An easy approach to the Robins-Breslow-Greenland variance estimator

• Main Author: Silcocks, Paul
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central Ltd. 2005
• Subjects: Odds ratio; Variance; Robins-Breslow-Greenland; RBG estimate; Greenland
• Online Access: http://www.epi-perspectives.com/content/2/1/9

Abstract The Mantel-Haenszel estimate for the odds ratio (and its logarithm) in stratified case control studies lacked a generally acceptable variance estimate for many years. The Robins-Breslow-Greenland estimate has met this need, but standard textbooks still do not provide an explanation of how it is derived. This article provides an accessible derivation which demonstrates the link between the Robins-Breslow-Greenland estimate and the familiar Woolf estimate for the variance of the log odds ratio, and which could easily be included in Masters level courses in epidemiology. The relationships to the unconditional and conditional maximum likelihood estimates are also reviewed.