Evidence-appraisal glossary
Regression
Regression is a family of statistical methods that model how an outcome changes with one or more explanatory variables, estimating each variable's association with the outcome while holding the others fixed.
Also called: regression analysis, multivariable regression, linear regression.
Linear regression models a continuous outcome, logistic regression models yes or no outcomes and yields odds ratios, and Cox regression models time to an event and yields hazard ratios. The estimated associations are adjusted only for the variables actually included and correctly modeled, so a regression coefficient reflects correlation within the data at hand and does not by itself establish that one variable causes the other.
This is a plain-language methodology definition for reading research. It is general education, not medical advice.