Enhancing Predictive Models: An In-depth Analysis of Feature Selection Techniques Coupled with Boosting Algorithms

Abstract

This research addresses the critical need to enhance predictive models for fetal health classification using Cardiotocography (CTG) data. The literature review underscores challenges in imbalanced labels, feature selection, and efficient data handling. This paper aims to enhance predictive models for fetal health classification using Cardiotocography (CTG) data by addressing challenges related to imbalanced labels, feature selection, and efficient data handling. The study uses Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) and boosting algorithms (XGBoost, AdaBoost, LightGBM, CATBoost, and Histogram-Based Boosting) to refine model performance. The results reveal notable variations in precision, Recall, F1-Score, accuracy, and AUC across different algorithms and RFE applications. Notably, Random Forest with XGBoost exhibits superior performance in precision (0.940), Recall (0.890), F1-Score (0.920), accuracy (0.950), and AUC (0.960). Conversely, Logistic Regression with AdaBoost demonstrates lower performance. The absence of RFE also impacts model effectiveness. In conclusion, the study successfully employs RFE and boosting algorithms to enhance fetal health classification models, contributing valuable insights for improved prenatal diagnosis.