confundente

Confundente is a term used primarily in statistics and epidemiology to describe a factor that distorts the apparent relationship between an exposure and an outcome in observational studies. In Italian, the standard terminology is usually "fattore di confondimento" or "variabile di confondimento," while "confondente" can function as an adjective or sometimes as a noun to refer to such a factor.

In epidemiology and statistics, a confondente has two key characteristics: it is associated with both the exposure and the outcome, and it is not on the causal path between them. If not accounted for, confondenti can bias the estimated effect of the exposure on the outcome, leading to a spurious association or obscuring a real one.

Examples commonly discussed include age, sex, socioeconomic status, or lifestyle factors that correlate with both the exposure of interest and the health outcome being studied. Addressing confondenti is essential for valid causal inference and can be achieved through design approaches (randomization, matching, restriction) and analysis techniques (stratification, multivariable regression, propensity scores, inverse probability weighting, instrumental variables). Residual confounding may remain if some confondenti are unmeasured or poorly measured.

Etymology traces to the Latin confundere, meaning to mix together or confuse. In Italian scientific writing, confundente is used more rarely than the standard terms for confounding, with the preferred phrases being "fattore di confondimento" or "variabile di confondimento." In English, the corresponding term is confounder or confounding variable, and confundente is not common. See also confounding, causal inference, epidemiology, statistics.