Reader's guide to critical appraisal of cohort studies: 2. Assessing potential for confounding

Key Points

• The aim is to provide guidance on evaluating the potential for confounding in cohort studies.
• Discusses strategies for identifying confounding variables.
• Explores methods for minimizing the effects of confounding.
• Emphasizes the importance of valid comparison in research.
• Confounding identified as a significant issue in cohort study validity.
• Strategies presented can help mitigate confounding effects.
• Improved assessment leads to more reliable study outcomes.