Epidemiologists can attempt to deal with confounding in a study by all but which of the following?

• A. Restriction
• B. Matching
• C. Ignoring the confounder in the analysis
• D. Randomization

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that confounding occurs when an extraneous variable influences both the independent and dependent variables, potentially biasing the results of a study.
2. Recognize that common methods to control confounding include Restriction (limiting study participants to certain categories), Matching (pairing subjects with similar confounder characteristics), and Randomization (randomly assigning subjects to groups to evenly distribute confounders).
3. Note that 'Ignoring the confounder in the analysis' means not accounting for the confounding variable at all, which does not control for confounding and can lead to biased results.
4. Therefore, the method that does NOT deal with confounding is ignoring the confounder in the analysis, as it fails to address the bias introduced by confounding variables.
5. Summarize that Restriction, Matching, and Randomization are valid techniques to handle confounding, while ignoring the confounder is not.