Estimating physical activity level: the role of domestic activities
- P Phongsavan1,
- D Merom1,
- A Marshall2,
- A Bauman1
- 1NSW Centre for Physical Activity and Health, University of NSW, Australia
- 2School of Human Movement Studies, University of Queensland, Australia
- Correspondence to: Dr P Phongsavan NSW Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Level 2, Medical Foundation Building, 94 Parramatta Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; p.phongsavanunsw.edu.au
- Accepted 9 September 2003
Appropriate measures of physical activity are essential for determining the population prevalence of physical activity, for tracking trends over time, and for guiding intervention efforts. Physical activity measurement is characterised by the synthesis of information on the type, frequency, intensity, and duration of activity over a specified period. To date, emphasis in physical activity assessment has been on the measurement of leisure time physical activities. However, some domestic and transport related activities entail energy expenditures equivalent to moderate intensity of 3.0–6.0 METS1 considered to be of sufficient intensity to achieve a health benefit are yet to be included in routine population level physical activity surveillance. This leads to population estimates based only on measures of leisure time physical activities.
Recent developments in research on the energy expenditure of domestic activities have highlighted the …
