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ID: 3291745 • Letter: H

Question

home / study / math / statistics and probability / statistics and probability questions and answers / consider each of the following scenarios and state ... Question: Consider each of the following scenarios and state whether or not the variable in question is a confounder, and why.

A study of the risk of pulmonary hypertension among women who take diet drugs to lose weight. The crude relative risk of pulmonary hypertension comparing diet drug users to non-users is 17.0 and the age adjusted relative risk is 5.0. Is age a confounder in this study?

A cohort study of liver cancer among alcoholics. Incidence rates of liver cancer among alcoholic men are compared to a group of non-alcoholic men. Is gender a confounder in this study?

A case-control study of the risk of beer consumption and oral cancer among men. In this study, cigarette smoking is associated with beer consumption and is a risk factor for oral cancer among both beer drinkers and nondrinkers. Is cigarette smoking a confounder in this study?

Explanation / Answer

A study of the risk of pulmonary hypertension among women who take diet drugs to lose weight. The crude relative risk of pulmonary hypertension comparing diet drug users to non-users is 17.0 and the age adjusted relative risk is 5.0. Is age a confounder in this study?

Answer: Yes, age appears to be confounder

A cohort study of liver cancer among alcoholics. Incidence rates of liver cancer among alcoholic men are compared to a group of non-alcoholic men. Is gender a confounder in this study?

Answer: No, gender is not a confounder since the study is only conducted on men

A case-control study of the risk of beer consumption and oral cancer among men. In this study, cigarette smoking is associated with beer consumption and is a risk factor for oral cancer among both beer drinkers and nondrinkers. Is cigarette smoking a confounder in this study?

Answer: Yes, cigarette smoking is a confounder because those who drink beer are more likely to smoke , which could make the association seem stronger than it is