Glossary
The NORAH glossary provides brief and clear explanations of technical terms and abbreviations. Can’t find the term you were looking for? Then simply get in touch with us via the contact form.
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Confounding
Confounding occurs when a phenomenon depends on two or more conditions that are mutually influencing. If, for example, we want to investigate whether frequent tooth brushing prevents tooth decay in children, it would not be sufficient merely to examine the brushing behaviour and the dental status. This is because children who frequently brush their teeth are most likely actively encouraged to do so by their parents (few of them do it of their own accord). The same parents will probably allow their children fewer sweets. It could be that the healthier teeth are not due to frequent brushing but to a healthier diet. We can only find this out by examining both.