konfundierbarer

Konfundierbarer is a German adjective used in statistics and epidemiology to describe a variable that can confound the relationship between an exposure and an outcome. Derived from konfundieren (to confound) and the suffix -bar, it means capable of confounding. A konfundierbarer Faktor is therefore a potential confounder.

To qualify as a confounder, a variable must be associated with both the exposure and the outcome and must not lie on the causal path between them. Distinguishing confounders from mediators or colliders can be challenging and misclassification can bias results.

Examples: In studies of coffee consumption and heart disease, smoking is a konfundierbarer Faktor because it relates to both coffee use and cardiovascular risk. Age and socioeconomic status are also commonly considered konfundierbare variables that can influence exposure and outcomes.

Approaches to address konfundierbarer factors include randomization, stratification, multivariable regression, propensity scores, and causal diagrams (DAGs). Care is required to avoid adjusting for mediators or colliders, which can introduce bias.

In German-language literature, konfundierbarer is used alongside terms like Konfundierung and Konfundierungskontrolle. The concept aligns with the broader idea of confounding in causal inference and is understood in many international statistical discussions.