Question

Which of the following correctly defines confounding

1. The distortion of the association between the independent and dependent variable
2. It is when individuals of groups or data are selected in such a way that proper randomization is not achieved
3. It is misclassification of study subjects according to exposure status or disease outcome
4. A situation where subjects are unable or unwilling to recall a possible exposure correctly

Answer 1

Confounding means the distortion of the association between the independent and dependent variables because a third variable is independently associated with both.A causal relationship between two variables is often described as the way in which the independent variable affects the dependent variable. The independent variable can take different values independently, and the dependent variable varies according to the value of the independent variable.

The distortion of the association between the independent and dependent variable is the correct option.