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Public Health & Epidemiology vocabulary · Bias, Causation and Data Analysis

Confounding

Meaning in public health & epidemiology, with examples

/kənˈfaʊndɪŋ/nounCommon term

In public health & epidemiology, confounding means: A distortion that happens when a third factor is linked to both the exposure and the outcome, making their relationship look stronger, weaker or different than it really is.

In Turkish: karıştırıcılık, karıştırıcı etki

How it is used

The factor itself is called a confounder or confounding variable. Researchers control or adjust for confounding through study design, such as randomization and matching, or in the analysis. Age and smoking are classic confounders.

Example sentences

  1. Coffee drinking appeared to be linked to lung cancer until the analysis adjusted for confounding by smoking.

  2. Residual confounding may explain part of the association.

Common collocations

  • adjust for confounding
  • residual confounding
  • confounding variable
  • confounding factor
  • control for confounders
  • biasA systematic error in how a study is designed, carried out or analysed that pushes its results away from the truth in one direction.
  • associationA statistical link between an exposure and an outcome, meaning they occur together more or less often than chance would predict, whether or not one causes the other.
  • randomized controlled trialA study in which participants are assigned by chance to receive an intervention or a comparison, such as a placebo or usual care, so that the outcomes of the groups can be fairly compared.
  • risk factorA characteristic, behaviour or exposure that increases the chance of developing a disease or health problem, such as smoking, high blood pressure or poor housing.

More terms: Bias, Causation and Data Analysis

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.