Validation of a 7-day physical activity diary against doubly-labelled water

Abstract

Background: The assessment of physical activity intensity and duration is essential for understanding group activity patterns.

Methods: The present study evaluated the validity of measurement of total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity level (PAL) using a categorized physical activity diary. In 29 young healthy men, aged 18–27 years, with body mass index range 21–43 kg m⁻², TEE using doubly-labelled water (DLW), resting metabolic rate (RMR) by indirect calorimetry, physical activity level (PAL defined as TEE/RMR) and activity pattern, timing and level from 7-day physical activity diaries were determined.

Results: TEE by DLW and estimated by activity diary were correlated (r = 0.61, p = 0.005). The mean underestimation of TEE by the activity diary compared with the DLW method was 2.50 ± 0.72 MJ day⁻¹. Sedentary (lying, sitting and standing) time averaged 18 h day⁻¹ and was negatively correlated with PAL (r = −0.44, p = 0.018) whilst time spent in light intensity activity (5 h day⁻¹) was positively correlated (r = 0.51, p = 0.005).

Conclusions: It is concluded that the categorized physical activity diary measured TEE with limited accuracy but presents an inexpensive, convenient method of discriminating individual and group physical activity patterns.

• Energy expenditure
• physical activity patterns
• physical activity diaries
• doubly-labelled water