Question

A study found that breast-fed babies have fewer stomach problems than bottle-fed babies; however, previous research has shown that breast-fed babies also have mothers that are of a higher socio-economic class and come from environments with better hygiene and less crowding.

In this example, socio-economic class represents which one of the following?

• The cause that produces the effect (stomach problems)
• An unrelated variable that has no impact on the results
• A nuisance variable that complicates the results
• A confounding variable that is associated with both the exposure (breast-feeding) and effect (stomach problems)

Answer 1

Socio-economic class in the study acts as a confounding variable that can influence the relationship between breast-feeding and the reduced incidence of stomach problems in babies.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the study mentioned, socio-economic class represents a confounding variable that is associated with both the exposure (breast-feeding) and the effect (stomach problems). A confounding variable is one that influences both the independent variable and the dependent variable, causing a spurious association. In this case, the higher socio-economic class of the mothers who breast-feed may be related to better overall child health outcomes, including fewer stomach problems, due to factors like better hygiene and less crowding, rather than the breast-feeding alone.

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