Validation of accelerometer placement to capture energy expenditure using doubly labeled water

This study compared accelerometer-measured physical activity by body placement to daily total energy expenditure (TEE) and activity energy expenditure (AEE) measured using doubly labeled water (DLW). Forty-nine adult participants wore accelerometers placed on the nondominant wrist, dominant wrist, and chest while also undergoing DLW assessments. In adjusted models, wrist-measured physical activity (p < 0.05), but not chest-measured physical activity (p > 0.05), was associated with TEE and AEE and explained a significant amount of variance that was not explained by age, sex, height, or body composition (R² change = 0.04-0.08; all p < 0.05). Accelerometer placement location is an important consideration when using accelerometry to provide information about energy expenditure.