For
example, to evaluate the benefits of obesity treatment, a statistical
model appropriately controlling for intention-to-treat(or any potential
confounding) can be constructed to analyze the data and to estimate
the effect of the treatment . Alternatively, agent-based modeling or
micro simulations can be used to compare different treatment regimens
when the data do not support comparisons. The data, however, can be
analyzed to inform the parameters in the agent-based models.