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. 2018 May;29(3):352-355.
doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000813.

Exploring the Subtleties of Inverse Probability Weighting and Marginal Structural Models

Alexander Breskin  1 , Stephen R Cole, Daniel Westreich
Affiliations

Exploring the Subtleties of Inverse Probability Weighting and Marginal Structural Models

Alexander Breskin et al. Epidemiology. 2018 May.

Abstract

Since being introduced to epidemiology in 2000, marginal structural models have become a commonly used method for causal inference in a wide range of epidemiologic settings. In this brief report, we aim to explore three subtleties of marginal structural models. First, we distinguish marginal structural models from the inverse probability weighting estimator, and we emphasize that marginal structural models are not only for longitudinal exposures. Second, we explore the meaning of the word "marginal" in "marginal structural model." Finally, we show that the specification of a marginal structural model can have important implications for the interpretation of its parameters. Each of these concepts have important implications for the use and understanding of marginal structural models, and thus providing detailed explanations of them may lead to better practices for the field of epidemiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest

Figures

Figure
Figure
The causal diagram used in the example
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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