Energy expenditures of urban Colombian girls and women.

Anthropometry, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and resting energy expenditure (RMR) measured by indirect calorimetry and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) by the minute-by-minute heart rate (HR) method have been studied in 52 school-aged girls 6-16 years and 46 nonpregnant, nonlactating women 19-43 years of age. BMR, RMR, and TDEE increased with age in children, reaching approximate adult values by 15 years. TDEE averaged 9.29 ± 2.32 MJ/d in women 19-43 years. The ratio RMR/BMR averaged 1.27 ± 0.29 across all age groups. TDEE/BMR varied from 1.41 ± 0.28 to 1.62 ± 0.37 in the girls and averaged 1.78 ± 0.43 in adults. Application of empirical equations to estimates of BMR showed that those of Schofield gave values of +3.1% (P = 0.03) and of Henry and Rees -3.8% (P = 0.052) of measured BMR (Schofield [1985] Hum Nutr Clin Nutr 39C [Suppl 1]:5-41; Henry and Rees [1991] Eur J Clin Nutr 45:177-185). The pattern of daily energy expenditure is highly variable across age groups during the awake portion of the day (0700-2000 hours). In the averaged data of women at home, there is a gradual increase in the morning, a decline at noon, followed by some increase in the early afternoon and decline in late afternoon and early evening. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.