Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data

Introduction High-impact chronic pain (HICP) significantly affects the quality of life for millions of US adults, imposing substantial economic/healthcare burdens. Disproportionate effects are observed among racial/ethnic minorities and older adults.Methods We leveraged the National Health Interview...

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Main Authors: Sean Mackey, Titilola Falasinnu, Md Belal Hossain, Mohammad Ehsanul Karim, Kenneth Arnold Weber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-01-01
Series:BMJ Public Health
Online Access:https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001628.full
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author Sean Mackey
Titilola Falasinnu
Md Belal Hossain
Mohammad Ehsanul Karim
Kenneth Arnold Weber
author_facet Sean Mackey
Titilola Falasinnu
Md Belal Hossain
Mohammad Ehsanul Karim
Kenneth Arnold Weber
author_sort Sean Mackey
collection DOAJ
description Introduction High-impact chronic pain (HICP) significantly affects the quality of life for millions of US adults, imposing substantial economic/healthcare burdens. Disproportionate effects are observed among racial/ethnic minorities and older adults.Methods We leveraged the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 2016 (n=32 980), 2017 (n=26 700) and 2021 (n=28 740) to validate and develop analytical models for HICP. Initial models (2016 NHIS data) identified correlates associated with HICP, including hospital stays, diagnosis of specific diseases, psychological symptoms and employment status. We assessed the models’ generalisability and drew comparisons across time. We constructed five validation scenarios to account for variations in the availability of predictor variables across datasets and different time frames for pain assessment questions. We used logistic regression with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and random forest techniques. We assessed model discrimination, calibration and overall performance using metrics such as area under the curve (AUC), calibration slope and Brier score.Results Scenario 1, validating the NHIS 2016 model against 2017 data, demonstrated excellent discrimination with an AUC of 0.89 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.90) for both LASSO and random forest models. Subgroup-specific performance varied, with the lowest AUC among adults aged ≥65 years (0.81, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.82) and the highest among Hispanic respondents (0.91, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.94). Model calibration was generally robust, although underfitting was observed for Hispanic respondents (calibration slope: 1.31). Scenario 3, testing the NHIS 2016 model on 2021 data, showed reduced discrimination (AUC: 0.82, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.83) and overfitting (calibration slopes <1). De novo models based on 2021 data showed comparable discrimination (AUC: 0.86, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.87) but poorer calibration when validated against older datasets.Conclusion These findings underscore the potential of these models to guide personalised medicine strategies for HICP, aiming for more preventive rather than reactive healthcare. However, the model’s broader applicability requires further validation in varied settings and global populations.
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spelling doaj-art-8ac8c782ced6411fa0045bf0f8b8d4442025-01-27T20:20:11ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Public Health2753-42942025-01-013110.1136/bmjph-2024-001628Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) dataSean Mackey0Titilola Falasinnu1Md Belal Hossain2Mohammad Ehsanul Karim3Kenneth Arnold Weber41 Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA2Stanford University, Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford, USABRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladeshassistant professor and scientist1 Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USAIntroduction High-impact chronic pain (HICP) significantly affects the quality of life for millions of US adults, imposing substantial economic/healthcare burdens. Disproportionate effects are observed among racial/ethnic minorities and older adults.Methods We leveraged the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 2016 (n=32 980), 2017 (n=26 700) and 2021 (n=28 740) to validate and develop analytical models for HICP. Initial models (2016 NHIS data) identified correlates associated with HICP, including hospital stays, diagnosis of specific diseases, psychological symptoms and employment status. We assessed the models’ generalisability and drew comparisons across time. We constructed five validation scenarios to account for variations in the availability of predictor variables across datasets and different time frames for pain assessment questions. We used logistic regression with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and random forest techniques. We assessed model discrimination, calibration and overall performance using metrics such as area under the curve (AUC), calibration slope and Brier score.Results Scenario 1, validating the NHIS 2016 model against 2017 data, demonstrated excellent discrimination with an AUC of 0.89 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.90) for both LASSO and random forest models. Subgroup-specific performance varied, with the lowest AUC among adults aged ≥65 years (0.81, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.82) and the highest among Hispanic respondents (0.91, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.94). Model calibration was generally robust, although underfitting was observed for Hispanic respondents (calibration slope: 1.31). Scenario 3, testing the NHIS 2016 model on 2021 data, showed reduced discrimination (AUC: 0.82, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.83) and overfitting (calibration slopes <1). De novo models based on 2021 data showed comparable discrimination (AUC: 0.86, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.87) but poorer calibration when validated against older datasets.Conclusion These findings underscore the potential of these models to guide personalised medicine strategies for HICP, aiming for more preventive rather than reactive healthcare. However, the model’s broader applicability requires further validation in varied settings and global populations.https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001628.full
spellingShingle Sean Mackey
Titilola Falasinnu
Md Belal Hossain
Mohammad Ehsanul Karim
Kenneth Arnold Weber
Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data
BMJ Public Health
title Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data
title_full Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data
title_fullStr Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data
title_full_unstemmed Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data
title_short Problem of pain in the USA: evaluating the generalisability of high-impact chronic pain models over time using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data
title_sort problem of pain in the usa evaluating the generalisability of high impact chronic pain models over time using national health interview survey nhis data
url https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001628.full
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