title: Survival models for fertility evaluation.
abstract: "Two proportional hazards models for cohort fertility evaluation are constructed.  Time-dependent covariates describe sources of heterogeneity between and within women regarding fertility characteristics.  In the first model, U.S. birth rates specific to maternal age, race, parity, and birth cohort are used as underlying hazard rates.  Covariate effects are estimated by maximizing the full likelihood.  In the second model, covariate effects are estimated via Cox regression with stratified underlying hazard rates regarded as unknown nuisance parameters."  The authors illustrate the models "with an evaluation of the fertility histories of the wives of workers at a manufacturing plant with potential for hazardous exposure.  Adjustments to the U.S. birth rates for maternal age and parity zero experience are required with the first approach.  Then, despite differences in the model-specific estimation procedures, the point estimates of the exposure effect and the estimated standard errors from the two models are practically equivalent."
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Starr
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D001723:Birth Rate; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D005006:Ethnicity; D005298:Fertility; D008423:Maternal Age; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009656:North America; D010298:Parity; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012106:Research; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014481:United States
keywords: Americas; Cohort Analysis; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Estimation Technics; Ethnic Groups; Fertility; Fertility Measurements; Heterogeneity; Maternal Age; Mathematical Model; Models, Theoretical; North America; Northern America; Parity; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Research Methodology; United States