Use of causal inference methods in case-control studies: a methodology review

Mésidor, Miceline ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5788-4984; Xu, Mengting; Diop, Awa; Fantodji, Canisius; Parent, Marie-Élise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4196-3773 et Keil, Alexander (2026). Use of causal inference methods in case-control studies: a methodology review American Journal of Epidemiology , vol. 195 , nº 5. pp. 1438-1446. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaf182.

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Résumé

BACKGROUND: The use of causal inference methods in cohort studies has increased considerably in recent years. However, their use has been limited in case-control studies. This report aimed at providing a detailed review of causal inference methods used in case-control studies and to review and examine their applications in previous studies. METHODS: Several methods have been used to facilitate causal inference in case-control studies, including intercept-adjustment, propensity scores, weight-based and doubly-robust estimators. We used the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online database to identify original peer-reviewed case-control studies conducted from March 2014 to March 2024 that applied these methods. RESULTS: We identified 418 studies, 23 of which met the inclusion criteria. Most studies involved case-control matching (individual or frequency) and included incident cases. The covariate-conditional odds ratio was the most frequently reported estimated parameter. Sixty-five percent of included studies considered an adjustment for sampling bias, most often using inverse-probability of observation weighting and case-control targeted maximum likelihood approaches. CONCLUSION: We are still in early stages of development and application of causal inference methods for case-control studies. Their implementation and new techniques to address time-varying confounding can improve the validity of study findings and should be encouraged.

Type de document:	Article
Mots-clés libres:	causal inference; case–control studies; sampling selection bias; marginal causal effects; review.
Centre:	Centre INRS-Institut Armand Frappier
Date de dépôt:	08 juin 2026 20:08
Dernière modification:	08 juin 2026 20:08
URI:	https://espace.inrs.ca/id/eprint/16651

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