Estimation of Energy Expenditure from Physical Activity Measures: Determinants of Accuracy

Abstract

IRWIN, MELINDA L., BARBARA E. AINSWORTH, AND JOAN M. CONWAY. Estimation of energy expenditure from physical activity measures: determinants of accuracy. Obes Res. 2001;9:517-525. Objective: To describe the determinants, specifically age, body mass index, percentage of body fat, and physical activity (PA) level, associated with over-and underestimation of energy expenditure (EE) using PA records and the Stanford Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall (7DR) compared with doubly labeled water (DLW). Research Methods and Procedures:We collected PA measures on 24 males eating a controlled diet designed to maintain body weight, and we determined EE from DLW and estimated EE from PA records and 7DR. Results: Absolute differences in the estimation of EE between DLW and PA assessment methods were greater for the 7DR (30.6 Ϯ 9.9%) than PA records (7.9 Ϯ 3.2%). In PA records, overestimation of EE was greater with older age and higher body fatness; EE was overestimated by 16.7% among men 50 years and older compared with only 5.3% among men Ͻ40 years of age. For percentage of body fat, EE was overestimated by 19.7% among men with a percentage of body fat Ն30% compared with only 5.6% among men with a percentage of body fat Ͻ25%. A trend for less overestimation of EE with higher levels of PA (measured by DLW/basal metabolic rate [BMR]) also was observed in the PA records. In the 7DR, the estimates of EE varied widely and no trends were observed by age, percentage of body fat, and PA levels. Discussion: Estimation of EE from the 7DR is considerably more variable than from PA records. Factors related to age and percentage of body fat influenced the accuracy of estimated EE in the PA record. Additional studies are needed to understand factors related to accurate reporting of PA behaviors, which are used to estimate EE in free-living adults.

Assessment of physical activity using accelerometry, an activity diary, the heart rate method and the Indian Migration Study questionnaire in South Indian adults

“…Similar problems have been reported for this accelerometer (formerly Computer Science and Application Inc.) and for other accelerometers as well (26)(27)(28) . In contrast, the mean PAL from the questionnaire compared well with that obtained with the 24 h AD although 24 h AD is prone to over-reporting as it relies on self-report (29) . An obvious limitation in the current study is that freeliving activities and published, rather than actually measured MET were used to compare with the accelerometer-derived counts.…”

Validation of a simplified physical activity record by doubly labeled water technique

“…21 Therefore, physical activity is an important outcome in epidemiological and nutritional studies, but difficult to measure because of its complex nature. 4,22 We developed a new simplified physical activity record for use in large-scale studies that accurately estimates energy expenditure with low costs and low efforts for both investigator and study participants, which was validated in the present study.…”

“…The prospective approach realized in physical activity records has been shown to be superior to the retrospective approach of physical activity recalls for estimation of energy expenditure, 5 but records are often very time-consuming during their completion and data processing. 3,4 In general, the advantages of several instruments are often combined with a lack of accuracy. There is a clear interaction between accuracy on the one hand and burden for study participants on the other hand.…”

“…3 Moreover, the method does not provide any information on type and duration of different physical activities. 4 Physical activity questionnaires are the most frequently used instruments in epidemiological studies to estimate physical activity or energy expenditure. However, their major problem is the opposing relationship between simplicity on the one hand and compliance and validity on the other hand.…”

Concurrent comparison of energy intake and expenditure among adults in Butajira District, Ethiopia

“…However, only a few, such as the doubly labelled water (DLW) method (4) , have proved sufficiently precise and unbiased for the estimation of energy expenditure and for the validation of dietary energy intake (DEI) (5,6) . Although the DLW method provides an accurate estimation of the mean DEI and physical activity level (PAL), its use in large epidemiological surveys is limited owing to scarcity of the stable isotope and its inhibitory cost (7) .Dietary intake is reported inaccurately, most often under-reported (8) . The DLW method has been used to measure energy expenditure and validate energy intake calculated from food records, diet recalls or diet histories in several studies (9)(10)(11)(12) , thereby revealing a substantial bias towards underestimation of reported energy intake.…”