Error message - "_b not allowed when e(b) is not present"

[Karl Vaz]

Hi,

I am trying to run the following formula for a risk prediction tool that has been developed by another author (developed in R but they have provided me with this transcribed formula to Stata language):


gen modellab = -6.7922721 + 0.044744302*AGE + 0.32961593*(WHR*10) + 0.19860813*ALCOHOL ///

- 0.0082096868*(max((ALCOHOL-0.1), 0))^3 + 0.010575035*(max((ALCOHOL-1), 0))^3 ///

- 0.002004756*(max((ALCOHOL-3), 0))^3 - 0.00033998925*(max((ALCOHOL-9), 0))^3 ///

- 2.0602882e-05*(max((ALCOHOL-33), 0))^3 + 0.011813962*GGT ///

+ 0.18721469*(SEX == 2) + 0.55249734*(DIABETES == 1) + 0.74679941*(SMOKING == 1) ///

+ 0.0054325769*GGT*(SEX == 2) - 0.64903176*(SEX == 2)*(SMOKING == 1)

Whereby;
AGE in years (40-70 years old only)
WHR = waist-hip ratio
ALCOHOL = grams per week consumed (if >500 = 500)
GGT = gamma glutamyl transferase (if >200 = 200)
SEX = 1 (male) / 2 (female)
DIABETES = 1 (yes) / 0 (no)
SMOKING = 1 (current) / 2 (never/ex-)

However, when I try to run this the following error message returns "_b not allowed when e(b) is not present" - but I am not sure what this error refers to nor how to troubleshoot it.

Any ideas?
Thanks

[John Mullahy]

If your actual code has two hard returns after each /// try using just one. I.e. instead of

gen modellab = -6.7922721 + 0.044744302*AGE + 0.32961593*(WHR*10) + 0.19860813*ALCOHOL ///

- 0.0082096868*(max((ALCOHOL-0.1), 0))^3 + 0.010575035*(max((ALCOHOL-1), 0))^3 ///

- 0.002004756*(max((ALCOHOL-3), 0))^3 - 0.00033998925*(max((ALCOHOL-9), 0))^3 ///

- 2.0602882e-05*(max((ALCOHOL-33), 0))^3 + 0.011813962*GGT ///

+ 0.18721469*(SEX == 2) + 0.55249734*(DIABETES == 1) + 0.74679941*(SMOKING == 1) ///

+ 0.0054325769*GGT*(SEX == 2) - 0.64903176*(SEX == 2)*(SMOKING == 1)

try using

gen modellab = -6.7922721 + 0.044744302*AGE + 0.32961593*(WHR*10) + 0.19860813*ALCOHOL ///
- 0.0082096868*(max((ALCOHOL-0.1), 0))^3 + 0.010575035*(max((ALCOHOL-1), 0))^3 ///
- 0.002004756*(max((ALCOHOL-3), 0))^3 - 0.00033998925*(max((ALCOHOL-9), 0))^3 ///
- 2.0602882e-05*(max((ALCOHOL-33), 0))^3 + 0.011813962*GGT ///
+ 0.18721469*(SEX == 2) + 0.55249734*(DIABETES == 1) + 0.74679941*(SMOKING == 1) ///
+ 0.0054325769*GGT*(SEX == 2) - 0.64903176*(SEX == 2)*(SMOKING == 1)