Causal Relationships in Biomedical Research: The meaning of Moderator, Mediator and Confounding Factor

The attribution of causal relationships in research in general, and particularly in biomedical research, and the investigation of the mechanisms involved, remain issues of major importance; their clarification al-lows for the design of appropriate interventions for a positive outcome. In this effort, the concepts of the effect modifier, the mediator as well as the confounding factor have a distinct role. The present work is an attempt to distinguish between the aforementioned concepts and present the appropriate statistical techniques in order to evaluate them. Hellenic J Nutr Diet 2018, 5(1):19-25