TOTAL-ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY AS ASSESSED BY THE DOUBLY LABELED WATER METHOD IN SWEDISH ADOLESCENTS IN WHOM ENERGY-INTAKE WAS UNDERESTIMATED BY 7-D DIET RECORDS

Swedish children and adolescents may be adopting a sedentary lifestyle with low energy expenditures and intakes, but no quantitative data ar e available. The purpose of the present study in 50 adolescents aged 1 5 y was to investigate whether assessment of total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity level (PAL) by the doubly labeled water me thod and indirect calorimetry and estimation of energy intake by a 7-d diet record would indicate physical inactivity. The boys' (n = 25) me an weight was 112% and the girls' (n = 25) was 109% of Swedish referen ce values from 1976; the mean height of both boys and girls was 102% o f those reference values. Mean TEE in the boys and girls, 13.82 +/- 1. 90 and 10.70 +/- 1.59 MJ/d, and mean PAL (TEE/basal metabolic rate), 1 .89 +/- 0.16 and 1.79 +/- 0.22, respectively, were nonsignificantly hi gher than corresponding figures from other published studies. Mean ene rgy intake as a percentage of TEE was 81.9 +/- 17.9% in the boys and 7 8.3 +/- 16.4% in the girls. Significant negative correlations were fou nd both between energy intake as a percentage of TEE and percentage bo dy fat and between energy intake as a percentage of TEE acid body mass index. These results add to the evidence that 7-d diet records undere stimate energy intake in adolescents, particularly those with a tenden cy for overweight and increased body fat. The results support indicati ons of a trend of increasing body weight and height in Swedish adolesc ents, but conflict with the presumptions of low physical activity, low energy expenditure, and low energy intake. These results support the view that current recommendations for energy intake during adolescence are too low.