ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2024
Need to Revise Classification of Physical Activity Intensity in Older Adults? The Use of Estimated METs, Measured METs, and V̇O2 Reserve.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04821713 (ENerGetics in Old AGE), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
ENerGetics in Old AGE (ENGAGE Study) - Validation of Multiple Accelerometers and Physical Activity Questionnaires Against Indirect Calorimetry Under Laboratory and Free-living Conditions in Very Old Adults
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Beyond the 150 min target: rethinking exercise promotion for active health in community-dwelling older adults through inclusive social prescribing.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Associations between muscle mass and strength and bone microarchitecture in Caucasian postmenopausal women.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2025Article
- Older adults' perspectives on physical activity during hospitalization: a qualitative interview study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with HR-pQCT bone parameters in older adults: the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA).Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2025Article
- Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity Intensity Cut-Points for Hip-, Wrist-, Thigh-, and Lower Back Worn Accelerometer in Very Old Adults.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2025Observational
- Device-based measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour after critical illness: A scoping review.PloS one · 2025Article
- Comparative evaluation of ASCVD, SCORE-2, and HEARTS risk scores in Colombian adults at risk of type 2 diabetes: stratification, concordance, and associated factors.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Article
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10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMultiples of resting metabolic rate (RMR) are often used to classify physical activity intensity, a concept known as the metabolic equivalent of task (MET). However, the METs metrics may misclassify physical activity intensity in older adults because of age-related changes in RMR and maximal aerobic capacity (V˙O2max). This study aimed to (i) compare classifications of activity intensity by estimated (METsestimated) and measured (METsmeasured) METs and (ii) compare physical activity classified by absolute (METsmeasured) versus relative intensity (%V˙O2Reserve) in older adults.
methodsNinety-eight adults aged 75-90 years participated in the study. RMR and V˙O2 during sitting, standing, daily activities, and 6-minute walking test were measured. V˙O2Reserve was defined as the difference between V˙O2max and RMR. Moderate and vigorous intensity was classified as 3 and 6 METs and 40% and 60% of V˙O2Reserve, respectively. Paired t tests and a confusion matrix were used to investigate aims 1 and 2, respectively.
resultsMETsmeasured was 24% lower than the standard 1 MET of 3.5 mL O2·min-1·kg-1. METsestimated underestimated the intensity during daily and walking activities when compared to METsmeasured. Nevertheless, when comparing METsmeasured to percentages of V˙O2Reserve, a mismatch was shown for moderate intensity in 47%-67% of the participants during daily activities and 21% of the participants during self-selected gait speed.
conclusionsApplying METsestimated for older adults leads to potential underestimation of physical activity intensity, suggesting that current classification metrics should be revised for older adults. V˙O2Reserve is a candidate metric for establishing precise physical activity intensity cut points for older adults. Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT04821713.
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