Sentences with phrase «confound study outcomes»

Much of the reason for this centers around limitations in several key aspects of study design that have possibly confounded study outcomes.

Not exact matches

By design, that study minimized confounding by measured and unmeasured factors; however, nonblinding of clinicians assessing the cognitive outcomes to participant breastfeeding status suggests the potential for bias.

Studies of the relation between breast feeding and illnesses are subject to possible limitation by misclassification of exposure and outcome and by confounding.

To correct for limitations, Bauchner et al suggested four standards for breast feeding studies.22 These include avoidance of detection bias, clear definition of the outcome event, clear definition of breast feeding, and adjustment for potential confounding variables.

Although reanalysis of the available evidence is important, the ability to properly control for bias and confounding [factors that can influence outcomes] in observational studies is often limited, and without randomized controlled trials specifically designed to test the hypothesis, the issue of nonspecific effects of vaccines may remain subject to continuing debate.»

For each study, we extracted data on baseline characteristics (age, sex, histology, stage, grade, and smoking history) of the study population that could potentially confound the link between smoking and the outcome.

The mechanism of this association is unclear and could reflect chance or residual confounding, although similar results were reported in the Nurses» Health Study and the Kaiser Permanente Multiphasic Health Checkup cohorts.19, 20 In contrast to other outcomes, a modest borderline positive association was observed in men for coffee consumption and mortality from cancer, with a null association observed in women.

Furthermore, the paradoxical protective effects of antenatal parental alcohol use found in some studies [9,17,18] are most likely explained by 1) misclassification of the exposure or outcome, 2) residual confounding, or 3) small sample size [6,19].

One strength of the current study involves the use of multiple informants; parents and caregivers reported on outcome measures, and youth reported on friendship qualities, thus reducing the potential confounds of shared - method variance.

The findings for emotional symptoms are in line with studies from New Zealand showing that the number of depressive episodes in adolescence was associated with later self - reported welfare dependence after adjustment for confounding factors and comorbidity.17 In a study with an outcome measure similar to that of our study, Pape et al16 reported that anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescence increased the susceptibility of receiving medical benefits in early adulthood in a Norwegian sample.

Although more studies are certainly needed to replicate and extend these findings (particularly given the cross-sectional design and limited measurement of sleep and outcome domains), this study offers an important reminder to researchers to not overstate findings from any single study that is unable to consider all potential confounds.