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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Components and Health Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #103521
Title: ABILITY OF 7 DAY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DIARIES AND RECALLS TO ESTIMATE FREE LIVING ENERGY EXPENDITURE

Author
item Conway, Joan
item Seale, James
item IRWIN, MELISSA - UNIV SOUTH CAROLINA
item JACOBS, DAVID - UNIV MINNESOTA
item AINSWORTH, BARBARA - UNIV SOUTH CAROLINA

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/25/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: Conway, J.M., Seale, J.L., Irwin, M.L., Jacobs, D.R., Ainsworth, B.E. 1999. Ability of 7 day physical activity diaries and recalls to estimate free living energy expenditure. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary: None

Technical Abstract: Estimating the energy cost of physical activity in human subjects is one of the unsolved problems of nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and epidemiologists. To compare energy expenditure(EE)from doubly labeled water (EEDLW), and from validated physical activity instruments (7-day diaries (EEDIARY) and 7-day recalls (EERECALL)), we studied 24 males (Age: 41 y +/- 10 y, BMI: 25 +/- 2. 7), who were consuming a controlled diet. The energy cost of physical activity was calculated from a published compendium (Ainsworth BE, et al., Med Sci Sports Exer 1993; 71-80), which was developed for use by epidemiologists. Mean EEDLW was 3168 +/- 413 Kcal/day, mean EEDIARY was 3385 +/- 420 Kcal/day, while mean EERECALL was 5543 +/- 2316 Kcal/day. The percent difference between EEDLW and EEDIARY was 7.9 +/- 15.6, and between EEDLW and EERECALL was 73.7 +/- 66.3.There was no significant difference between EEDLW and EEDIARY, however there was noticeable variation on an individual basis. This difference was positively correlated to EEDLW (r = 0.56, p<0.01). Mean EE was significantly overestimated (p<0.05) by the 7-day recalls. The overestimation of EERECALL can be attributed largely to the difficulty of classifying physical activity as: moderate, hard, or very hard.This investigation indicates that the energy expenditure of a population, as small as twenty-four, can be determined from 7-day physical activity records. The use of these methods to predict individual EE depends largely on the compliance of the individuals being studied.