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Total energy expenditure and physical activity level in healthy young Swedish children 9 or 14 months of age

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 57, pages 647–653 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives: 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.

Design: 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.

Subjects: 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.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all children and parents who participated in the study. We are also grateful to Margareta Henriksson, RN, for skilful assistance throughout this study. Financial support was received from Semper AB, Sweden, and the Swedish Medical Research Council, project number 12172.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Semper AB, Stockholm, Sweden

    C Tennefors

  2. Department of Biomedicine and Surgery, University of Linköping, Sweden

    C Tennefors & E Forsum

  3. MRC, Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge, UK

    W A Coward & A Wright

  4. Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Sweden

    O Hernell

Authors
  1. C Tennefors
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  2. W A Coward
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  3. O Hernell
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  4. A Wright
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  5. E Forsum
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Contributions

Guarantor: C Tennefors.

Contributors: CT, OH and EF designed the study together. OH was responsible for the larger survey from which the infants were recruited to this study. WAC and AW conducted the isotopic analyses and calculated the doubly labelled water results. CT was responsible for data collection and prepared the manuscript together with EF. All contributors reviewed the paper.

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Tennefors, C., Coward, W., Hernell, O. et al. Total energy expenditure and physical activity level in healthy young Swedish children 9 or 14 months of age. Eur J Clin Nutr 57, 647–653 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601591

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