Exploring heterogeneity in meta-analysis: Meta-regression analysis.

Meta-regression is simply the extension of the regression analysis. Whereas in the regression analysis, the outcome and the covariates are measured for each subject, in meta-regression, the outcome and the covariates are measured on the level of the study. Because studies differ at least in the sample size, we need to assign a weight in each study under a specific model (fixed-effect or random-eff…