HealthJuly 6, 2026

regression

/rɪˈɡrɛʃən/

Definition

A statistical method used to determine the strength and character of the relationship between one dependent variable and a series of other independent variables.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'regressio,' meaning 'a going back.' It was adopted into scientific and mathematical terminology in the late 19th century to describe the tendency of variables to trend toward an average value.

In the news

In this article, researchers used Poisson regression to isolate the impact of neighborhood opportunity on mental health visit rates while accounting for variables like age, sex, and location. This allowed them to confirm that zip code-level factors have an independent association with health outcomes.

Rates of Youth Mental Health Visits Higher in Deprived Areas

Read the full article ↗

Medscape

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