Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a snowball-type sampling method used to survey hidden populations, that is, those that lack a sampling frame. In this work, we consider the problem of regression modeling and association for continuous RDS data. We propose a new sample weight method for estimating non-linear parameters such as the covariance and the correlation coefficient. We also estimate the variances of the proposed estimators. As an illustration, we performed a simulation study and an application to an ethnic example. The proposed estimators are consistent and asymptotically unbiased. We discuss the applicability of the method as well as future research.

中文翻译：

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使用响应驱动采样收集的数据来估计非线性参数

受访者驱动采样（RDS）是一种雪球型采样方法，用于调查隐藏的人口，即那些缺乏采样框架的人口。在这项工作中，我们考虑了连续RDS数据的回归建模和关联的问题。我们提出了一种新的样本权重方法，用于估计非线性参数，例如协方差和相关系数。我们还估计提议的估计量的方差。作为说明，我们进行了模拟研究并将其应用于种族示例。提出的估计量是一致的，并且渐近无偏。我们讨论该方法的适用性以及未来的研究。