Calculating risk and prevalence ratios and differences in R: Developing intuition with a hands-on tutorial and code

Abstract

Epidemiologic research questions often focus on evaluating binary outcomes, yet curricula and scientific literature do not always provide clear guidance or examples on selecting and calculating an appropriate measure of association in these scenarios. Reporting inappropriate measures may lead to misleading statistical conclusions. We present a hands-on tutorial that includes annotated code written in an open-source statistical programming language (R) showing readers how to apply, compare, and understand four methods used to estimate a risk or prevalence ratio (or difference), rather than presenting an odds ratio. We will provide guidance on when to use each method, discuss the strengths and limitations of each approach, and compare the results obtained across them. Ultimately, we aim to help trainees, public health researchers, and interdisciplinary professionals develop an intuition for these methods and empower them to implement and interpret these methods in their own research.