Is matching required in case-control study?

There are two common misconceptions about case-control studies: that matching in itself eliminates confounding by the matching factors; and that if matching has been performed, then a “matched analysis” is required. Matching in the design does not control for confounding by the matching factors.

Why is matching undertaken in a case-control study?

Introduction. Matching is commonly used in case–control studies to adjust for confounding at the design stage. It ensures that adjustment is possible when there is no sufficient overlap in confounding variables between cases and a random set of controls.

What is matching in epidemiology?

Introduction. Matching is not uncommon in epidemiological studies and refers to the selection of unexposed subjects’ i.e., controls that in certain important characteristics are identical to cases. Most frequently matching is used in case-control studies but it can also be used in cohort studies.

What is a matched pairs experiment example?

Example of a Matched Pairs Design For example: A 25-year-old male will be paired with another 25-year-old male, since they “match” in terms of age and gender. A 30-year-old female will be paired with another 30-year-old female since they also match on age and gender, and so on.

What is matched case-control study?

The Matched Pair Case-Control Study calculates the statistical relationship between exposures and the likelihood of becoming ill in a given patient population. This study is used to investigate a cause of an illness by selecting a non-ill person as the control and matching the control to a case.

What is a matched pair case-control study?

The Matched Pair Case-Control Study calculates the statistical relationship between exposures and the likelihood of becoming ill in a given patient population. This study is used to investigate a cause of an illness by selecting a non-ill person as the control and matching the control to a case.

Do matched studies discard the pool of unmatched controls?

However, one should also note that matched studies discard not only a pool of unmatched controls, but the information in each exposure-concordant case-control pair.

What is the adjusted odds ratio in the unmatched case control study?

In contrast, the adjusted odds ratio (2.00) is the same as that in the total population and in the unmatched case-control study (both of these adjusted odds ratios were estimated using the standard approach).

What is the impact of matching on the study sample?

Additionally, matching has a substantial impact on the study sample, most notably, it creates a sample of controls that is not representative of exposure in the population or the population as a whole.