Total energy expenditure and physical activity level in healthy young Swedish children 9 or 14 months of age.
OBJECTIVE
To measure total energy expenditure (TEE) and total body water (TBW) in healthy Swedish children 9 or 14 months of age. To compare their TEE with current recommendations for energy intake. To define their body composition and relate this to energy expenditure.


METHODS
: Children were investigated at 9 or 14 months. The following variables were measured: TEE and TBW (by the doubly labelled water method), weight and length. Total body fat (TBF), sleeping metabolic rate, activity energy expenditure and physical activity level (PAL) were calculated.


METHODS
Thirty infants 9 months of age and 29 children 14 months of age.


RESULTS
: TEE was 323+/-38, 322+/-29, 313+/-23 and 331+/-28 kJ/kg/day in 9-month-old girls, 9-month-old boys, 14-month-old girls and 14-month-old boys, respectively. At 9 months of age girls and boys contained 29.6+/-4.8 and 29.7+/-4.5% TBF, respectively. At 14 months the corresponding figures were 29.1+/-4.3 and 28.2+/-4.3%. There was a significant negative relationship between PAL and %TBF (r=-0.81, P<0.001, n=59).


CONCLUSIONS
Measured TEE plus calculated energy cost of growth confirm previous estimates that the physiological energy requirements of children 9 and 14 months of age are 15-20% lower than current recommendations for energy intake. One possible interpretation of the relationship between PAL and %TBF is that children with a high TBF content are less physically active than children with less TBF. However, this relationship needs further studies.
Tennefors
C
C
Semper AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
Coward
W A
WA
Hernell
O
O
Wright
A
A
Forsum
E
E
D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D013548:Sweden