Investigating Participant Characteristics and Scores in Hypertension Using Multi-Attribute Utility Theory Analysis on Hypertension Patients from Pakistan

Abstract

Background and aim Hypertension (HTN) is a significant public health concern worldwide, affecting approximately a third of people during their lifetimes. There are many factors that influence people with HTN to develop cardiovascular disease, such as lifestyle, genetics, economics, overall health, and medications; the authors did not find any previous study employing Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) analysis using machine learning. There is a sense of urgency to understand the characteristics of HTN patients in Pakistan; by using MAUT to analyze and evaluate different factors related to developing HTN, we can gain valuable insights into the characteristics of HTN and cardiovascular HTN (HTN-CVD) patients in Pakistan. Methods and results This study utilized a cross-sectional survey with 98 participants diagnosed with HTN and HTN-CVD. The questionnaire included sociodemographic items, symptoms, heredity factors, and dietary habits. The study was approved by the Research Ethical Committees of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR), Pakistan. The result shows that there is a wide difference between HTN and HTN-CVD patients’ scores for symptoms (37% vs. 63%) and economic status (39% vs. 61%) (respectively). Other than these, the attribute proportions of scores for HTN and HTN-CVD are almost the same. The highest MAUT scores were higher for patients with HTN-CVD (373) than for those with HTN alone (270), and the mean age of HTN patients is higher than HTN-CVD; almost all attributes’ groups of the 10 highest MAUT scores of HTN-CVD higher than HTN patients except for attribute of medication status. Conclusion Patients with HTN-CVD complications have higher MAUT scores for lifestyle, social status, health status, and economic status. This emphasizes the importance of educating patients (and indeed the general public) about risks, symptoms, and adopting healthy behaviors.