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Energy expenditure in young adult urban informal settlement dwellers in South Africa

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 63, pages 805–807 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Obesity prevalences are increasing in industrialized and developing countries. As a pilot for a comparative study of physical activity and weight change, we assessed energy expenditure (EE) in young black South African adults living in an urban informal settlement. Total EE (TEE) was assessed using doubly labeled water, activity EE (AEE) and activity patterns by accelerometry and body composition by isotope dilution. Twenty young women and eight men were enrolled. Over 50% of the women and no men were obese (mean BMI 31.0 and 21.6 kg/m2, respectively). Women had significantly lower TEE and AEE after adjustment for body size, as well as lower levels of moderate and vigorous activity. Neither TEE nor AEE was associated with BMI or percent body fat, whereas percent time in vigorous activity was modestly negatively associated with adiposity. These data add to the small literature on EE and activity among populations undergoing epidemiologic transitions.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health HL45508 (AL) and DK30031 (DAS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Loyola University School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA

    L R Dugas, K Ebersole, R A Durazo-Arvizu & A Luke

  2. UT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    M A Carstens & E V Lambert

  3. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    D A Schoeller

Authors
  1. L R Dugas
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  2. M A Carstens
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  3. K Ebersole
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  4. D A Schoeller
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  5. R A Durazo-Arvizu
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  6. E V Lambert
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  7. A Luke
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Correspondence to L R Dugas.

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Dugas, L., Carstens, M., Ebersole, K. et al. Energy expenditure in young adult urban informal settlement dwellers in South Africa. Eur J Clin Nutr 63, 805–807 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2008.75

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2008.75

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