When exposure affects subgroup membership: Framing relevant causal questions in perinatal epidemiology and beyond
当暴露影响子群成员资格:围产期流行病学及其他情境中的因果问题
Perinatal epidemiology often aims to evaluate exposures on infant outcomes. When the exposure affects the composition of people who give birth to live infants (e.g., by affecting fertility, behavior, or birth outcomes), this "live birth process" mediates the exposure effect on infant outcomes. Causal estimands previously proposed for this setting include the total exposure effect on composite birth and infant outcomes, controlled direct effects (e.g., enforcing birth), and…