1. Overview of Logistics Regression and its SAS implementation
Logistics regression is widely used nowadays in finance, marketing research and clinical studies when the dependent variable is dichotomous, representing an event or a non-event. However, because ordinary linear regression was routinely used before we had the modern statistical packages for analyzing logit, we will compare the statistical assumptions of logistic regression with that of ordinary least square linear regression.
Next we will examine PROC LOGISTICS implemented in SAS and discuss the basic statistic output for understanding the logistic regression results.
We will then discuss how to setup and understand logistics regression when the dependent variable has more than two outcomes.
We will conclude the presentation by comparing PROC LOGISTICS with other SAS procedures that can also perform logistics regression.

2. Examples of discrete responses:
Getting decease vs. not getting decease
Good, medium and bad credit risks
Responders vs. non – responders (both in marketing or clinical trial studies)
Married vs. unmarried
Guilty vs. not guilty

3. Comparing linear and logistic regression
Linear Probability Model
Logit Model

4. Why can linear regression work reasonable well on binary dependent variables ?
Assumptions
Consequence of violations
Notes 1
Biased parameter estimates
Parameter’s meaning hard to interpret, except a linear approximation to nonlinear functions. Prediction can be <0, >1 2
Biased intercept estimate 3
Unbiased estimates but biased Variance of
Biased confidence interval 4
Same as 3 5
Unable for us to use t , F statistical tests for
regression models.
The estimates may still be normal if sample size is large.
Biased variance make statistic tests (t, F) unreliable
If 1) and 2) are true, it can be shown that 3) and 5) are necessarily false. However, the consequences may not be as serious as you expect.

5. Logistic regression for binary response variables
Basic Syntax:
proc logistic data=chdage1 outest=parms descending;
model chd = age /
selection = stepwise
ctable pprob = (0 to 1 by 0.1)
outroc=roc1;
proc score data=chdage1 score = parms out=scored type=parms;
var age;
run;
In the events/trials syntax, you specify two variables that contain count data for a binomial experiment. These two variables are separated by a slash. The value of the first variable, events, is the number of positive responses (or events). The value of the second variable, trials, is the number of trials.

6. Interpretation of SAS output - continued
Model Selection Criteria:
Convergence - difference in parameter estimates is small enough.
Model Fit Statistics Criteria:
Likelihood Function:
– 2 * log (likelihood )
AIC = – 2 * log ( max likelihood ) + 2 * k
SIC = – 2 * log ( max likelihood ) + log (N) * k
Testing Global Null Hypothesis: BETA=0
Likelihood ratio: ln(L intercept)- ln(L int + covariates),
Score: 1st and 2nd derivative of Log(L)
Wald: (coefficient / std error)2
AIC (Akaike Information Criterion),
SIC (Schwarz Information Criterion) the small the better K no of covariates, N sample size
Likelihood ratio:ln(L0)-ln(Lmax), similar to F test in linear model the larger the better (larger the difference)

7. Interpretation of SAS output - continued
Analysis of Maximum Likelihood Estimates
Parameter estimates and significance test
Odds Ratio Estimates
Odds:
Odds ratio: Oi / Oj per unit change in covariate.
Association of Predicted Probabilities and Observed Responses
Pairs: 43 (event) * 57 (non event) = 2451
Concordant (0- lower prob vs. 1- higher prob)
Discordant (0- higher prob vs. 1- lower prob)
Tie – all other
ROC used to visualize model model prediction strength.

8. Interpretation of SAS output - continued
Classification Table:
The model classifies an observation as an event if its estimated probability is greater than or equal to a given probability cutpoints.

9. Logistic regression for polychotomous response variables
Example: Three outcomes
The cumulative probability model
The assumption:
A common slope parameter associated with the predictor.

10. Logistic regression for polychotomous response variables
Examples:
proc logistic data=diabetes descending;
model group=glutest;
output out=probs predicted=prob xbeta=logit;
format group gp.;
run;

11. Other SAS Procedures for Logistic Regression Models
Model Options
Notes
Logistics
Event/Trial format only works for binary Response
GENMOD
Dist = Binormial
Link=logit
One of General linear models
PROBIT
Dist=Logistic
CATMOD
Proc catmod data=diabetes;
direct glutest;
response logits / out = cat_prob;
model group = glutest;
run;
Allow for individual parameters:
PHREG
proc phreg data=diabetes;
model t * group = glutest;
Trick: events occur at time one, non events occur at a later times (censored).
* t is dummy time var,
group is censoring var
The GENMOD procedure fits a generalized linear model to the data by maximum likelihood estimation of the parameter vector.Syntax similar to that of PROC GLM for the specification of the response and model effects, including interaction terms and automatic coding of classification variables
The PROBIT procedure calculates maximum likelihood estimates of regression parameters and the natural (or threshold) response rate for quantal response data from biological assays or other discrete event data. This includes probit, logit, ordinal logistic, and extreme value (or gompit) regression models.
The CATMOD procedure performs categorical data modeling of data that can be represented by a contingency table. PROC CATMOD fits linear models to functions of response frequencies, and it can be used for linear modeling, log-linear modeling, logistic regression, and repeated measurement analysis.
The PHREG procedure performs regression analysis of survival data based on the Cox proportional hazards model. Cox's semiparametric model is widely used in the analysis of survival data to explain the effect of explanatory variables on survival times.

12. References
Hosmer, D.W, Jr. and Lemeshow, S. (1989), Applied Logistic Regression, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
SAS Institute Inc. (1995), Logistic Regression Examples Using the SAS System, Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc.
Paul D. Allison (1999) Logistic Regression Using the SAS System: Theory and Application, BBU Press and John Wiley Sons Inc.