Identification of Confounding Factors Related to Hypertension among Women in the Reproductive age Groups

Confounding is a major problem in epidemiological research during the analysis of epidemiological data. To identify the confounder in the relationship between disease and risk factor is of prime importance because confounders distorts the actual relationship of risk factor on the disease. Due to the influence of confounder, on the factor disease relationship, the study may not provide the representative results of the association of the study sample. In the present study an attempt has been made to identify different confounders in the risk factor diabetes on disease hypertension among women under reproductive age groups. To achieve the objectives of the study data from the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (2015-2016) are used. To search the different confounders which may influence the relationship between hypertension and diabetics, stratum specific odds ratios and Mantel-Haensel common odd ratios are calculated. It has been found that, the women who are Diabetic associated with an increased risk of hypertension with the odds ratio of 2.27 (95% CI: 2.21-2.32).Risk factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), smoking are found as a confounders.. KEYWORDS :Confounders, Hypertension, Mantel-Haensel (M-H) common odds ratio, Body mass index (BMI).