Instruments for measuring physical activity

描述（由申请人提供）：体力活动消耗的能量是能量平衡和体重的重要组成部分。由于自由生活的人类从事的各种身体活动，获得人类身体活动的量或能量成本的准确测量是极具挑战性的。体力活动中消耗的能量包括有目的运动中消耗的能量和非运动活动产热（NEAT）中消耗的能量。后者比前者更难衡量。由于大多数美国人从事相对较少的有目的的体育活动，大部分能量消耗在体育活动将通过NEAT。 本申请中提出的研究重点是改进身体活动量和能量消耗的测量系统，并提出了测量非运动性身体活动和NEAT的具体技术。我们提出了一种新的高精度的身体活动测量系统（PAMS）。PAMS将使用通用软件程序中编写的现成组件和宏来开发。PAMS将允许以低成本准确测量身体活动，并将容易提供给世界各地的研究人员。在具体目标#1中，我们建议开发PAMS，并使用将被限制在整个房间间接热量计中的受试者对其进行验证。在具体目标#2中，我们建议在自由生活的受试者中验证PAMS。然后，在具体目标3中，我们将利用PAMS开发瘦型和肥胖型受试者的规范性数据。在这个特定的目标，我们将定义的组成部分NEAT在瘦和肥胖。这不仅是PAMS用户的基本信息，而且将增强我们对身体活动及其组成部分如何影响肥胖的理解。 PAMS有可能使来自不同学科的研究人员能够精确且经济有效地测量身体活动。这应该使我们能够更好地定义身体活动在健康和疾病中的作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The energy expended in physical activity is an important component of energy balance and body weight. Because of the variety of physical activities that free-living humans undertake, it has been extremely challenging to obtain accurate measurements of either the amount or energy cost of human physical activity. The energy expended in physical activity consists of energy expended in purposeful exercise and the energy expended in non-exercise activity thermo genesis (NEAT). The latter is even more difficult to measure than the former. Since most Americans engage in relatively little purposeful physical activity, the majority of energy expended in physical activity will be through NEAT. The research proposed in this application focuses on improving measurement systems for amount and energy cost of physical activity, with specific techniques proposed for measuring non-exercise physical activity and NEAT. We propose to develop a new high-precision Physical Activity Measurement System (PAMS). PAMS will be developed using off-the-shelf components and macros written in an universally available software program. PAMS will allow physical activity to be accurately measured at low cost and will be easily available to investigators worldwide. In Specific Aim #1, we propose to develop PAMS and validate it using subjects who will be confined in a whole-room indirect calorimeter. In Specific Aim #2, we propose to validate PAMS in free-living subjects. We will then, in Specific Aim #3, utilize PAMS to develop normative data for lean and obese subjects. In this specific aim we will define the components of NEAT in the lean and obese. This will not only be essential information for users of PAMS but will enhance our understanding of how physical activity and its components impacts obesity. PAMS has the potential to empower researchers from a variety of disciplines to measure physical activity precisely and cost-effectively. This should allow us to better define the role of physical activity in health and disease.