{"title":"Modeling repeated measurements data using the multilevel Bayesian network: A case of child morbidity.","authors":"Bezalem Eshetu Yirdaw, Legesse Kassa Debusho","doi":"10.1016/j.jbi.2024.104760","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>In epidemiological research, studying the long-term dependencies between multiple diseases is important. This study extends the multilevel Bayesian network (MBN) for repeated measures data that can estimate the rate of change in outcomes over time while quantifying the variabilities of these rates across higher-level units through various variance-covariance structures.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The performance and reliability of a model are examined through a simulation study, and its practical application is demonstrated using child morbidity data. This data has a hierarchical structure in which children were randomly selected from clusters (villages) and their conditions were assessed quarterly from March 2015 to May 2016. MBN was used to explore the relationship between outcomes weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), the number of days a child suffers from diarrhea (NOD), and flu (NOF), and estimate the rate of change of these outcomes over time. Since the outcomes considered were hybrid in nature, the connected three-parent set block Gibbs sampler with a multilevel generalized Poisson regression, multilevel zero inflated Poisson regression, and linear mixed-effects models were considered during the structure and parametric learning of the MBN.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>The simulation study confirmed that a MBN using the time metric t as a node performed well for repeated measures data. The result from the structure learning of MBN shows a causal relationship between WAZ, HAZ, NOD and NOF. Furthermore, exclusive breastfeeding months and usage of micronutrient powder appeared as a strong predictor for all outcomes considered in this study.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study reveals that MBN is suitable in modeling repeated measures data to study the relationship between outcomes and estimate rate of change of an outcome over time while quantifying the variability due to higher-level clustering variables. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of focusing on monitoring children with low WAZ and HAZ scores together with good feeding practices against the frequency of getting flu and diarrhea.</p>","PeriodicalId":15263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biomedical Informatics","volume":" ","pages":"104760"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Biomedical Informatics","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2024.104760","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background and objective: In epidemiological research, studying the long-term dependencies between multiple diseases is important. This study extends the multilevel Bayesian network (MBN) for repeated measures data that can estimate the rate of change in outcomes over time while quantifying the variabilities of these rates across higher-level units through various variance-covariance structures.
Method: The performance and reliability of a model are examined through a simulation study, and its practical application is demonstrated using child morbidity data. This data has a hierarchical structure in which children were randomly selected from clusters (villages) and their conditions were assessed quarterly from March 2015 to May 2016. MBN was used to explore the relationship between outcomes weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), the number of days a child suffers from diarrhea (NOD), and flu (NOF), and estimate the rate of change of these outcomes over time. Since the outcomes considered were hybrid in nature, the connected three-parent set block Gibbs sampler with a multilevel generalized Poisson regression, multilevel zero inflated Poisson regression, and linear mixed-effects models were considered during the structure and parametric learning of the MBN.
Result: The simulation study confirmed that a MBN using the time metric t as a node performed well for repeated measures data. The result from the structure learning of MBN shows a causal relationship between WAZ, HAZ, NOD and NOF. Furthermore, exclusive breastfeeding months and usage of micronutrient powder appeared as a strong predictor for all outcomes considered in this study.
Conclusion: This study reveals that MBN is suitable in modeling repeated measures data to study the relationship between outcomes and estimate rate of change of an outcome over time while quantifying the variability due to higher-level clustering variables. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of focusing on monitoring children with low WAZ and HAZ scores together with good feeding practices against the frequency of getting flu and diarrhea.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Biomedical Informatics reflects a commitment to high-quality original research papers, reviews, and commentaries in the area of biomedical informatics methodology. Although we publish articles motivated by applications in the biomedical sciences (for example, clinical medicine, health care, population health, and translational bioinformatics), the journal emphasizes reports of new methodologies and techniques that have general applicability and that form the basis for the evolving science of biomedical informatics. Articles on medical devices; evaluations of implemented systems (including clinical trials of information technologies); or papers that provide insight into a biological process, a specific disease, or treatment options would generally be more suitable for publication in other venues. Papers on applications of signal processing and image analysis are often more suitable for biomedical engineering journals or other informatics journals, although we do publish papers that emphasize the information management and knowledge representation/modeling issues that arise in the storage and use of biological signals and images. System descriptions are welcome if they illustrate and substantiate the underlying methodology that is the principal focus of the report and an effort is made to address the generalizability and/or range of application of that methodology. Note also that, given the international nature of JBI, papers that deal with specific languages other than English, or with country-specific health systems or approaches, are acceptable for JBI only if they offer generalizable lessons that are relevant to the broad JBI readership, regardless of their country, language, culture, or health system.
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