RE: st: using Freeman-Tukey arcsine transformation with metan command

[Cameron McIntosh <cnm100@hotmail.com>]

I would recommend against arcsine, in any event:
Warton, D.I., & Hui, F.K.C. (2011). The arcsine is asinine: the analysis of proportions in ecology. Ecology, 92(1), 3–10.http://www.esajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1890/10-0340.1

Wilson, E., Underwood, M., Puckrin, O., Letto, K., Doyle, R., Caravan, H., Camus, S., & Bassett, K. (2010). The Arcsine Transformation: Has the time come for retirement? http://www.mun.ca/biology/dschneider/b7932/B7932Final10Dec2010.pdf

> Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 19:25:40 +0100
> From: r.newson@imperial.ac.uk
> To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
> Subject: Re: st: using Freeman-Tukey arcsine transformation with metan command
> 
> PS if Jessica is meta-analysing proportions, instead of differences 
> between proportions, then the obvious alternative might be to use the 
> logit transformation, estimating odds instead of the usual odds ratios. 
> Jessica does not state the Stata version being used. However, in the 
> case of Stata 12, a good source on odds (as distinct from odds ratios) 
> is in the current Stata Journal (Buis, 2012). In previous versions of 
> Stata, the comments on geometric means given in Newson (2003) also apply 
> to odds.
> 
> Best wishes
> 
> Roger
> 
> References
> 
> Buis ML. Stata tip 107: The baseline is now reported. The Stata Journal 
> 2012; 12{1}: 165–166. Purchase from
> http://www.stata-journal.com/article.html?article=st0251
> 
> Newson R. Stata tip 1: The eform() option of regress. The Stata Journal 
> 2003; 3(4): 445. Download from
> http://www.stata-journal.com/article.html?article=st0054
> 
> Roger B Newson BSc MSc DPhil
> Lecturer in Medical Statistics
> Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health Group
> National Heart and Lung Institute
> Imperial College London
> Royal Brompton Campus
> Room 33, Emmanuel Kaye Building
> 1B Manresa Road
> London SW3 6LR
> UNITED KINGDOM
> Tel: +44 (0)20 7352 8121 ext 3381
> Fax: +44 (0)20 7351 8322
> Email: r.newson@imperial.ac.uk
> Web page: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/nhli/r.newson/
> Departmental Web page:
> http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/about/divisions/nhli/respiration/popgenetics/reph/
> 
> Opinions expressed are those of the author, not of the institution.
> 
> On 02/04/2012 18:24, Roger B. Newson wrote:
> > I don't know whether Jessica is really meta-analyzing proportions, or
> > differences between proportions (which would seem a more appropriate
> > parameter for which to use the arcsine transformation, at least to me).
> > However, the arcsine was proposed tentatively by Daniels and Kendall
> > (1947) as a possible Normalizing and variance-stabilizing transformation
> > for Kendall's tau. The -somersd- package (Newson, 2006) is downloadable
> > from SSC, and estimates Somers' D and Kendall's tau-a, offering the
> > arcsine transformation, and the alternative hyperbolic arctangent or
> > Fisher's z transformation, for the purposes of defining confidence
> > intervals for both of these parameters. And, of course, a difference
> > between proportions is a special case of Somers' D. It should be
> > entirely possible to use either of these transformations to meta-analyze
> > differences between proportions, using the SSC packages -metan- and/or
> > -parmhet- and/or -regpar- and or -parmest- (which has a -metaparm-
> > module to do meta-analyses).
> >
> > I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further queries.
> >
> > Best wishes
> >
> > Roger
> >
> >
> > References
> >
> > Daniels, H. E., and M. G. Kendall. 1947. The significance of rank
> > correlation where parental correlation exists. Biometrika 34: 197–208.
> >
> > Newson R. Confidence intervals for rank statistics: Somers' D and
> > extensions. The Stata Journal 2006; 6(3): 309-334. Download from
> > http://www.stata-journal.com/article.html?article=snp15_6
> >
> > Roger B Newson BSc MSc DPhil
> > Lecturer in Medical Statistics
> > Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health Group
> > National Heart and Lung Institute
> > Imperial College London
> > Royal Brompton Campus
> > Room 33, Emmanuel Kaye Building
> > 1B Manresa Road
> > London SW3 6LR
> > UNITED KINGDOM
> > Tel: +44 (0)20 7352 8121 ext 3381
> > Fax: +44 (0)20 7351 8322
> > Email: r.newson@imperial.ac.uk
> > Web page: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/nhli/r.newson/
> > Departmental Web page:
> > http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/about/divisions/nhli/respiration/popgenetics/reph/
> >
> >
> > Opinions expressed are those of the author, not of the institution.
> >
> > On 02/04/2012 17:38, Jessica Keithlin wrote:
> >> Hello Stata Community,
> >>
> >>
> >> This is my first post on Statalist so I hope it turns out OK =)
> >>
> >>
> >> I was wondering if anyone has any experience using the Freeman-Tukey
> >> arcsine transformation/back-transformation for a meta-analysis? I will
> >> be performing a meta-analysis on proportions (as opposed to the
> >> typical OR/RR etc) and much of the literature recommends this
> >> transformation as a way of dealing with the weighting/variance issue.
> >> After the transformation I plan on running a random effects analysis
> >> using the metan command (a lot of heterogeneity between my studies).
> >> Has anyone used this approach before? Does anyone have recommendations
> >> for the coding of the back transformation after the analysis is
> >> performed? Any cautions or thoughts on the transformation or
> >> alternative approaches I might not have heard of?
> >>
> >>
> >> Any input would be greatly appreciated.
> >>
> >>
> >> Thank you!
> >>
> >>
> >> Jessica Keithlin
> >> Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses
> >> University of Guelph
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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