Missing Data Problem

[ccasboy]

Hi folks

Given the fact that most imputation methods assume multivariate normality, does it make sense to impute missing values on a categorical variable let's say Gender and how can that be done?

Thanks

[Reeza]

Multiple Imputation in SAS, Part 1

[StatsGeek]

Though you could impute gender using a multiple imputation method that assumes normality, better approaches are available. The MI procedure includes fully conditional specification (FCS) multiple imputation using the FCS statement. The beauty of FCS multiple imputation is that it allows the user to employ logistic regression for imputing some variables and OLS regression for imputing others. The link below provides an example of using logistic regression to impute a nominal variable (species) and OLS regression to impute the other variables in the data set (length and width).

SAS/STAT(R) 13.1 User's Guide

I believe that the FCS statement became production in SAS/STAT 13.1. So, you'll need a recent version of SAS to perform FCS multiple imputation.

Best,

Steve