American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

What is the definition of effect modification in research?

1. The outcome is altered by the change of one factor

2. It is the bias introduced by confounding variables

3. A measure of central tendency

4. The technique used to analyze variance

The correct answer is: The outcome is altered by the change of one factor

Effect modification occurs when the effect of a primary exposure on an outcome differs depending on the level of a third variable. This means that while the primary exposure might have a certain effect on the outcome across the entire study population, this effect can change based on the presence or characteristics of another factor. In essence, the interaction between the exposure and the effect modifier influences the outcome, making it essential to identify and adjust for effect modification in research. Understanding this concept is crucial in epidemiology and clinical research, as it helps researchers identify when treatment effects vary in different subgroups of a population. It indicates that health interventions may need to be tailored differently across different segments of the population to achieve optimal outcomes, reflecting the complexity of real-world health scenarios. In contrast, the other options describe different concepts in research, such as bias introduced by confounding variables or statistical techniques, which do not appropriately capture the essence of effect modification.