Study on Total Energy Expenditure and Physical Activity Level in Thai Adults with Sedentary Behavior

Abstract

Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) consists of two components: basal energy expenditure and energy expenditure from physical activity. Sedentary behavior is defined as having less than 150 minutes per week of physical activity. The sedentary lifestyle has been increased in developing countries including Thailand, however, there is lacking on TEE data in this group. The objective of this study was to investigate the TEE and physical activity level (PAL) among sedentary adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 32 apparently healthy Thai adults (both males and females) aged 25-59 years old. TEE was measured by the doubly labeled water technique. Changes in deuterium and oxygen-18 enrichment in urine samples were analyzed 7 times over 2 weeks with an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer. Independent t-test was used to analyze the difference between males and females. One-sample t-test was used to compare the estimated PAL and FAO/WHO/UNU PAL reference value for sedentary. The results showed that the overall mean of TEE was 1,798 ± 333 kcal/day. There was a significant difference in TEE between genders (2,018 ± 285 kcal/day and 1,578 ± 212 kcal/day for males and females, respectively; p < 0.01). The physical activity level (PAL) (1.45 ± 0.22) was significantly less than the average FAO/WHO/UNU PAL value for sedentary. Measuring TEE using the DLW technique, while is an accurate method, requires the use of stable isotope and specific equipment, which is costly and not widely available. Further work is needed to establish a TEE predictive equation for Thai adult population by measuring TEE in participants with a wide range of body composition, occupation, domestic work, transportation, and leisure time.