GRAPHICAL PRESENTATION OF TRENDS IN RATES
GRAPHICAL PRESENTATION OF TRENDS IN RATES
复制标题
DOI：
10.1093/aje/141.4.300
复制
发表时间：
1995-02-15
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
FEARS, T
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
DEVESA, SS;DONALDSON, J;FEARS, T
已使用各种图形方法直观地描绘和分析疾病发病率的时间趋势，特别是年变化率。在回顾他们自己的工作时，作者发现他们可以根据所要解决的研究问题选择算术或对数尺度，通过选择轴线的缩放比例来检测特定的变化率，并通过使用统一的缩放比例来促进图表之间的比较，从而改进他们的图形表示。相同数据的不同表示方式可能导致不同的印象。作者使用40年期间的速率来说明所涉及的概念，并调查各种变化率的描述。这些原则延伸到绘制比值比或相对风险，其中选择算术轴而不是对数轴也可能导致误导性的绘图。作者总结道，图表应该精心设计和研究，清楚地反映事实，传达信息，并表明一个观点，而不是过分强调。对于这里讨论的特定问题，显示疾病发病率的时间趋势，他们看到了合理的一致性的优势。应鼓励注意流行病学和医学文献中的绘图技术。
A variety of graphical approaches have been used to visually portray and analyze temporal trends, especially annual rates of change, in disease rates. In reviewing their own work, the authors have found that they could improve on their graphical presentations by choosing an arithmetic or logarithmic scale according to the research question being addressed, by selecting scaling ratios of the axes that allow one to detect specific rates of change, and by using uniform scaling ratios to facilitate comparisons across graphs. Different presentations of the same data can result in different impressions. The authors used rates over a 40-year period to illustrate the concepts involved and to investigate the portrayal of various rates of change. These principles extend to the plotting of odds ratios or relative risks, where the choice of an arithmetic rather than a logarithmic axis also can result in a misleading plot. The authors conclude that a graph should be designed and studied with care, clearly reflect the truth, convey information, and make a point without overemphasizing. For the particular problem addressed here, displaying temporal trends in disease rates, they see advantages in justifiable uniformity. Attention to plotting techniques in the epidemiologic and medical literature should be encouraged.