Evaluation of Actiheart and a 7 d activity diary for estimating free-living total and activity energy expenditure using criterion methods in 1·5- and 3-year-old children. Issue 10 (28th May 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Henriksson, Hanna; Forsum, Elisabet; Löf, Marie
• Is Part Of: British journal of nutrition. Volume 111:Issue 10(2014)
• Page Start: 1830
• Page End: 1840
• Publication Date: 2014-05-28
• Subjects: Nutrition -- Periodicals; 572.4
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007114513004406
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1145

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Accurate and easy-to-use methods to assess free-living energy expenditure in response to physical activity in young children are scarce. In the present study, we evaluated the capacity of (1) 4 d recordings obtained using the Actiheart (mean heart rate (mHR) and mean activity counts (mAC)) to provide assessments of total energy expenditure (TEE) and activity energy expenditure (AEE) and (2) a 7 d activity diary to provide assessments of physical activity levels (PAL) using three sets of metabolic equivalent (MET) values (PAL<sub>Torun</sub>, PAL<sub>Adolph</sub> and PAL<sub>Ainsworth</sub>) in forty-four and thirty-one healthy Swedish children aged 1·5 and 3 years, respectively. Reference TEE, PAL<sub>ref</sub> and AEE were measured using criterion methods, i.e. the doubly labelled water method and indirect calorimetry. At 1·5 years of age, mHR explained 8 % (<italic>P</italic>= 0·006) of the variation in TEE above that explained by fat mass and fat-free mass. At 3 years of age, mHR and mAC explained 8 (<italic>P</italic>= 0·004) and 6 (<italic>P</italic>= 0·03) % of the variation in TEE and AEE, respectively, above that explained by fat mass and fat-free mass. At 1·5 and 3 years of age, average PAL<sub>Ainsworth</sub> values were 1·44 and 1·59, respectively, and not significantly different from PAL<sub>ref</sub> values (1·39 and 1·61, respectively). By contrast, average PAL<sub>Torun</sub> (1·5 and 3 years) and PAL<sub>Adolph</sub> (3 years) values were lower (<italic>P</italic>< 0·05) than the corresponding PAL<sub>ref</sub> values. In conclusion, at both ages, Actiheart recordings explained a small but significant fraction of free-living energy expenditure above that explained by body composition variables, and our activity diary produced mean PAL values in agreement with reference values when using MET values published by Ainsworth.</p> </abstract>