Daily energy expenditure, activity patterns, and energy costs of the various activities in french 12-16-y-old adolescents in free living conditions

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2002-09, Vol.56 (9), p.819-829
• Main Authors: VERMOREL, M, VERNET, J, BITAR, A, FELLMANN, N, COUDERT, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activity patterns; Adolescent; Adolescents; Age; Age Factors; Analysis of Variance; Anemias. Hemoglobinopathies; Autumn; Bioenergetics; Biological and medical sciences; Body weight; Calorimetry; Child; Children & youth; Clinical nutrition; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diseases of red blood cells; Energy; Energy costs; Energy expenditure; Energy metabolism; Energy Metabolism - physiology; Exercise; Female; France; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health aspects; Heart rate; Heart Rate - physiology; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Influence; Intermediate and energetic metabolism; Laboratory tests; Leisure Activities; Life Sciences; Life Style; Lifestyles; Living conditions; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolisms and neurohumoral controls; Motor Activity - physiology; Nutrition; Obesity in adolescence; Observations; Overweight; Physical activity; Physical Exertion - physiology; Physical fitness; Residence Characteristics; Seasons; Sex Factors; Social aspects; Sports - physiology; Spring; Spring (season); Teenagers; Time Factors; Variability; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Youth
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601395

Changes in lifestyle and increases in sedentary activities during recent decades have been shown to contribute to the prevalence of overweight in adolescents. To determine the inter-individual variability and the day-to-day variations in daily energy expenditure (DEE) and activity pattern, and the energy costs and EE of the various activities of adolescents in free-living conditions. Sixty adolescents (four groups of 14-16 boys or girls aged 12-16 y) participated in this cross-sectional study during spring or autumn. Activity patterns and EE were determined during five consecutive days, using both a diary and the heart rate recording method validated by whole-body calorimetry and laboratory tests. Mean DEE increased significantly with age in boys, but not in girls. However, the physical activity level did not vary significantly with sex and age. Mean DEE was significantly higher in spring than in autumn in the 12.6-y-old subjects. It was also 21% higher during the free days than during the schooldays in the active subjects, but 7% lower in the sedentary subjects. The energy cost of 22 activities was determined. Time and energy devoted to moderate and sport activities exhibited great inter-individual variability. They were lower in girls than in boys and decreased with age. The increase in EE resulting from moderate and sport activities instead of sedentary activities ranged from 0.2 to 2.7 MJ/day over the week. The great variability in DEE of adolescents resulted mainly from differences in the nature, duration and intensity of physical activities during the free days.