Investigation of spatial clustering from individually matched case-control studies

Biostatistics. 2001 Sep;2(3):277-93. doi: 10.1093/biostatistics/2.3.277.

Abstract

The paper demonstrates how existing theory to assess spatial clustering based on second-moment properties of a labelled point process can be adapted to matched case-control studies. The null hypothesis that cases are a random sample from the superposition of cases and controls is replaced by the hypothesis that each case is a random sample from the set consisting of itself and its k matched controls. We compare the proposed test with other tests of spatial clustering, and describe an application to data on childhood diabetes in Yorkshire, England.