confounding

English

Verb

confounding

1. present participle of confound

Noun

confounding (plural confoundings)

1. The act by which things are confounded, or confused.
2. (epidemiology) The process by which an apparent association between an exposure and an outcome is actually explained by another factor.
   • 2013, Macera CA; Shaffer R; Shaffer PM, Introduction to Epidemiology: Distribution and Determinants of Disease,, Cengage Learning, page 158:

     Confounding is defined as the confusion or distortion of measures of association between exposure and outcome as a result of third (or more) variable(s).