Calibration of activity-related energy expenditure in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Usual physical activity (PA) is a complex exposure and typical instruments to measure aspects of PA are subject to measurement error, from systematic biases and biological variability. This error can lead to biased estimates of associations between PA and health outcomes. We developed a calibrated physical activity measure that adjusts for measurement error in both self-reported and accelerometry measures of PA in adults from the US Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a community-based cohort study.

Total energy expenditure (TEE) from doubly labeled water and resting energy expenditure (REE) from indirect calorimetry were measured in 445 men and women aged 18-74years in 2010-2012, as part of the HCHS/SOL Study of Latinos: Nutrition & Physical Activity Assessment Study (SOLNAS). Measurements were repeated in a subset (N=98) 6months later.

Calibration equations for usual activity-related energy expenditure (AEE=0.90×TEE-REE) were developed by regressing this objective biomarker on self-reported PA and sedentary behavior, Actical accelerometer PA, and other subject characteristics.

Age, weight and height explained a significant amount of variation in AEE. Actical PA and wear-time were important predictors of AEE; whereas, self-reported PA was not independently associated with AEE. The final calibration equation explained fifty percent of variation in AEE.

The developed calibration equations can be used to obtain error-corrected associations between PA and health outcomes in HCHS/SOL. Our study represents a unique opportunity to understand the measurement characteristics of PA instruments in an under-studied Hispanic/Latino cohort.