Physical Activity, Sleep Disorders, and Type of Work in the Prevention of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Hypertension

Background Hypertensive patients are likelier to have mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study aimed to explore physical activity level, sleep disorders, and type of work that influenced intervention effects on mild cognitive impairment in hypertensive patients and to establish a decision tree model to analyze their predictive significance on the incidence of MCI in hypertensive patients. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of clinical data from 733 hypertensive patients, consisting of 356 males and 377 females with a mean age of 67.72 ± 10.79 years. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Moreover, we obtained information on the patients' type of work through a questionnaire and their level of physical activity through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Statistical analysis was performed using various methods, including T-test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, logistic regression, and decision tree. Finally, the ROC curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive ability of the decision tree model. Results The logistic regression analysis results indicate that sleep disorder is a significant risk factor for MCI in hypertension patients. Mental workers and those who perform manual and mental workers work exhibit protective effects against MCI. Compared to low-intensity and moderate physical activity, high-intensity physical activity protects against MCI in hypertension patients. The importance of predictors in the decision tree model was ranked as follows: physical activity level (54%), type of work (27%), and sleep disorders (19%). The area under the ROC curves the decision tree model predicted was 0.719 (95% CI: 0.677–0.761, p ＜0.001). Conclusion The probability of MCI is the largest in hypertensive patients with low-intensity activities or less. Sleep disorders is a risk factor for MCI in hypertensive patients. Hypertensive patients who engage in mental work and high-intensity physical activity effectively mitigate the onset of MCI in hypertensive patients.