Use of Data Mining to Predict the Risk Factors Associated With Osteoporosis and Osteopenia in Women

Osteoporosis has recently been acknowledged as a major public health issue in developed countries because of the decrease in the quality of life of the affected person and the increase in public costs due to complete or partial physical disability. The aim of this study was to use the J48 algorithm as a classification task for data from women exhibiting changes in bone densitometry. The study population included all patients treated at the diagnostic center for bone densitometry since 2010. Census sample data collection was conducted as all elements of the population were included in the sample. The service in question provides care to patients via the Brazilian Unified Health System and private plans. The results of the classification task were analyzed using the J48 algorithm, and among the dichotomized variables associated with a diagnosis of osteoporosis, the mean accuracy was 74.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 61.0-68.0) and the mean area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.64-0.66), with a mean sensitivity of 76.0 (95% CI, 76.0-76.0) and a mean specificity of 48.0 (95% CI, 46.0-49.0). The analyzed results showed higher values of sensitivity, accuracy, and curve of the ROC area in experiments conducted with individuals with osteoporosis. Most of the generated rules were consistent with the literature, and the few differences might serve as hypotheses for further studies.