title: The Energy Cost of Household Chores, Rollerblading, and Riding Scooters in 9- to 14-Year-Old Children.
abstract: To improve the scope of the Youth Compendium of Energy Expenditures, a range of everyday activities of varying intensity should be measured. This study measures the energy cost of children undertaking common household chores, rollerblading and riding a foot-propelled scooter.
  
  
  
  Participants were 9- to 14-year-old children. A metabolic cart was used to measure oxygen cost (VO2) of a variety of household chores. A Cosmed K4b2 portable oxygen analyzer was used to measure VO2 during rollerblading and riding a scooter at self-selected speeds. Energy costs for each participant were calculated as child METs.
  
  
  
  Mean child MET costs for the household chores ranged from 1.3 to 3.6 METs. Rollerblading and riding a scooter yielded mean child MET costs of 6.5 and 6.3 METs respectively.
  
  
  
  Household chores were found to be of light to moderate intensity, while rollerblading and riding a scooter were vigorous activities.
authors.affiliation: Sport, Health, and Physical Education (SHAPE) Research Centre, School of Education, Flinders University, Australia.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ridley
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Olds
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption