Applied Logistic Regression, 3rd Edition

Preface to the Third Edition

This third edition of Applied Logistic Regression comes 12 years after the 2000 publication of the second edition. During this interval there has been considerable effort researching statistical aspects of the logistic regression model—particularly when the outcomes are correlated. At the same time, capabilities of computer software packages to fit models grew impressively to the point where they now provide access to nearly every aspect of model development a researcher might need. As is well-recognized in the statistical community, the inherent danger of this easy-to-use software is that investigators have at their disposal powerful computational tools, about which they may have only limited understanding. It is our hope that this third edition will help bridge the gap between the outstanding theoretical developments and the need to apply these methods to diverse fields of inquiry.

As was the case in the first two editions, the primary objective of the third edition is to provide an introduction to the underlying theory of the logistic regression model, with a major focus on the application, using real data sets, of the available methods to explore the relationship between a categorical outcome variable and a set of covariates. The materials in this book have evolved over the past 12 years as a result of our teaching and consulting experiences. We have used this book to teach parts of graduate level survey courses, quarter- or semester-long courses, ...