determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia

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RESEARCH PAPER Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia MIYOUNG LEE 1 , WEIMO ZHU 2 , BRAD HEDRICK 3 & BO FERNHALL 2 1 Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 2 Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, and 3 Division of Disability Resources and Education Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA Accepted June 2009 Abstract Purpose. The compendium of physical activity (CPA) may not be appropriate for persons with paraplegia (PP) because of their possible low resting metabolic rate (RMR), or 1 MET, and a lack of physical activities (PAs) engaged by PP in the CPA. A CPA supplement, therefore, is needed. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of constructing a short supplement for PP with two specific aims: to determine whether PP need an alternative 1-MET value and if selected PA can be classified into corresponding categories based on their ‘engagement’ and ‘energy expenditure (EE)’ characteristics. Method. Thirty-one PP (161.26 cm + 22.99 cm, 60.52 kg + 15.32 kg, and 24.16 + 6.25 years) were recruited. RMR and 10 PA with different intensities were measured using indirect calorimetry. The z- and t-tests were employed to examine MET difference between the measured values and those of CPA (a ¼ 0.05). Results. One-MET for PP (3.1 mL/kg/min) was lower than that of the CPA (3.5 mL/kg/min). Although some MET values were found to be similar to those in the CPA, others were statistically significantly different. Conclusions. To be able to measure PA-related EE of a disability subpopulation using the CPA accurately, a supple- ment that accounts for the impact of different types of activities and the EE characteristics of the subpopulation must be developed. Keywords: Energy expenditure, physical activity, disability Introduction There are about 250 000 individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States, including about 50% with tetraplegia and 50% with paraplegia, whose injury levels are classified above or below the first thoracic vertebra, respectively [1]. Individuals with SCI are more susceptible to health pro- blems such as stroke, osteoarthritis, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, etc. compared with able-bodied individuals [1]. Promoting regular par- ticipation of physical activities (PAs) is critical for the quality of life of people with SCI [2] and an accurate and practical way to measure PA of people with SCI is essential for this goal. Self-report questionnaires are one of the most popular PA measures to estimate the PA-related energy expenditure (EE) for non-disabled populations because it is inexpen- sive and easy to administer compared with the other PA measures, such as doubly labeled water, indirect calorimetry, or motion sensors [3,4]. In addition, some questionnaires provide detailed accounts of the time, intensity, and patterns of PA and EE in free- living conditions [5–8]. Although a few questionnaires [9] have been developed to measure PA of individuals with SCI, they were not designed to estimate EE. When estimating EE from questionnaires or other self- report measures (e.g. diary), the metabolic equiva- lents (MET) of PA must be known. One (1) MET is assumed to equal the amount of energy expended during 1 min at rest, which is roughly 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute (3.5 mL/kg/min) [5] or 1.2 kcal per minute for a Correspondence: Miyoung Lee, Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Oregon State University, 103 Women’s building, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA. E-mail: [email protected] Disability and Rehabilitation, 2010; 32(4): 336–343 ISSN 0963-8288 print/ISSN 1464-5165 online ª 2010 Informa UK Ltd. DOI: 10.3109/09638280903114402 Disabil Rehabil Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by SUNY State University of New York at Stony Brook on 10/29/14 For personal use only.

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Page 1: Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia

RESEARCH PAPER

Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities forpersons with paraplegia

MIYOUNG LEE1, WEIMO ZHU2, BRAD HEDRICK3 & BO FERNHALL2

1Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 2Department of

Kinesiology and Community Health, and 3Division of Disability Resources and Education Services, University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA

Accepted June 2009

AbstractPurpose. The compendium of physical activity (CPA) may not be appropriate for persons with paraplegia (PP) because oftheir possible low resting metabolic rate (RMR), or 1 MET, and a lack of physical activities (PAs) engaged by PP in the CPA.A CPA supplement, therefore, is needed. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of constructing a shortsupplement for PP with two specific aims: to determine whether PP need an alternative 1-MET value and if selected PA canbe classified into corresponding categories based on their ‘engagement’ and ‘energy expenditure (EE)’ characteristics.Method. Thirty-one PP (161.26 cm+ 22.99 cm, 60.52 kg+ 15.32 kg, and 24.16+ 6.25 years) were recruited. RMR and10 PA with different intensities were measured using indirect calorimetry. The z- and t-tests were employed to examineMET difference between the measured values and those of CPA (a¼ 0.05).Results. One-MET for PP (3.1 mL/kg/min) was lower than that of the CPA (3.5 mL/kg/min). Although some MET valueswere found to be similar to those in the CPA, others were statistically significantly different.Conclusions. To be able to measure PA-related EE of a disability subpopulation using the CPA accurately, a supple-ment that accounts for the impact of different types of activities and the EE characteristics of the subpopulation must bedeveloped.

Keywords: Energy expenditure, physical activity, disability

Introduction

There are about 250 000 individuals with spinal cord

injury (SCI) in the United States, including about

50% with tetraplegia and 50% with paraplegia,

whose injury levels are classified above or below the

first thoracic vertebra, respectively [1]. Individuals

with SCI are more susceptible to health pro-

blems such as stroke, osteoarthritis, heart disease,

rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, etc. compared with

able-bodied individuals [1]. Promoting regular par-

ticipation of physical activities (PAs) is critical for the

quality of life of people with SCI [2] and an accurate

and practical way to measure PA of people with SCI

is essential for this goal. Self-report questionnaires

are one of the most popular PA measures to

estimate the PA-related energy expenditure (EE)

for non-disabled populations because it is inexpen-

sive and easy to administer compared with the other

PA measures, such as doubly labeled water, indirect

calorimetry, or motion sensors [3,4]. In addition,

some questionnaires provide detailed accounts of the

time, intensity, and patterns of PA and EE in free-

living conditions [5–8].

Although a few questionnaires [9] have been

developed to measure PA of individuals with SCI,

they were not designed to estimate EE. When

estimating EE from questionnaires or other self-

report measures (e.g. diary), the metabolic equiva-

lents (MET) of PA must be known. One (1) MET is

assumed to equal the amount of energy expended

during 1 min at rest, which is roughly 3.5 mL of

oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute

(3.5 mL/kg/min) [5] or 1.2 kcal per minute for a

Correspondence: Miyoung Lee, Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Oregon State University, 103 Women’s building, Corvallis, Oregon 97331,

USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Disability and Rehabilitation, 2010; 32(4): 336–343

ISSN 0963-8288 print/ISSN 1464-5165 online ª 2010 Informa UK Ltd.

DOI: 10.3109/09638280903114402

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Page 2: Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia

70 kg (150 lb) person. One MET is thus equivalent

to one’s resting metabolic rate (RMR). Using MET

estimations is a simple way of measuring PA intensity

and can be used to estimate the amount of oxygen

used by the body during PA. For example, three

METs of a PA means three times the RMR or

10.5 mL _VO2 (kg/min) required for that PA, but this

assumption is based on the presumed value of an

oxygen uptake of 3.5 mL/kg/min at rest.

To help using MET values to estimate EE using

questionnaires, diary or observation, a major national

effort was made to compile the MET values of PA

together. As a result, a total of 605 PAs have been

compiled, with assigned MET values, in a list known

as the compendium of physical activity (CPA) [5].

However, the MET calculation for persons with SCI

may be inaccurate because 1 MET of persons with

SCI may differ from that of able-bodied individuals.

According to a systematic review [10], RMR of

persons with SCI was *14–27% lower than able-

bodied individuals. Another study of 13 twins with/

without SCI also showed 10% difference of RMR

[11]. Thus, a person with SCI may exhibit a different

EE performing the same activity as a person without

SCI. In addition, most PAs included in the CPA are

for able-bodied individuals and only one PA is

defined specifically for persons with SCI (wheelchair

basketball). Consequently, the CPA is not currently

a useful tool for estimating EE of PA in persons with

SCI.

To be able to apply the CPA on persons with

disabilities, a CPA supplement that takes into

consideration the EE characteristics and types of

PA engaged regularly by a targeted subpopulation

must be developed. To do so, the relationship

between PA and persons with disabilities, and their

EE characteristics must be understood. On the basis

of the characteristics of ‘engagement’ and ‘EE

characteristics’, PA of persons with disabilities can

be generally classified into four categories: (1)

Activity by Able-bodied population Only (AAO),

(2) Activity by Both able-bodied and disability

populations with Similar METs (ABS), (3) Activity

by Both able-bodied and disability populations with

Different METs (ABD), and (4) Activity by a

targeted Disability population Only (ADO). There-

fore, to be able to apply the CPA to a population

with a disability, the activities belonging to AAO

and ABS must be identified and the MET values of

ABD and ADO activities must be re-estimated/

estimated. Including ABS, ABD with redefined

MET values, and ADO activities a supplement

compendium can be developed and applied to a

targeted population with disabilities (see Figure 1

for a visual presentation of the hypothetical supple-

ment concept).

The purpose of this study was to examine the

feasibility of constructing a short supplement to the

CPA for persons with SCI focusing on paraplegia

only. To achieve this, two specific aims were

investigated whether: (a) persons with paraplegia

(PP) need an alternative 1 MET value, which is used

to determine MET values of PAs and (b) selected PA

and their corresponding categories (i.e. ABD, ABS,

Figure 1. PA compendium and its supplements for disability subpopulations.

MET for paraplegia 337

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Page 3: Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia

and ADO) can be confirmed based on the

characteristics of the ‘engagement’ and ‘EE

characteristics.’

Methods

Participants of selected subpopulation

A total of 31 participants with paraplegia (PP, 19

males and 12 females) were recruited considering a

variety of injury levels and completeness of lesions.

Six had an injury level between T3 and T6 and 25

had an injury level at T7 or below. These two groups

of injury levels were determined by the physical

responses (e.g. _VO2 peak), sitting balance, walking

potential and muscle innervations, which were split

at thoracic cord injury six or above [12–14]. The

participants were also classified using American

Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale [15]

and the levels of paraplegia were between A and D

(14 As, 6 Bs, 5 Cs, 4 Ds, and 2 spinal bifida).

Participants’ causes of SCI are varied from the birth

to traumatic accidents. The study was approved by

the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s

institutional review board and all subjects signed

informed consent prior to participation.

Selection of physical activities

Participants’ EE was measured when performing 10

PAs selected for this study. The selection of these

specific activities was based on considerations of the

PA intensity in PP. Of the 10 activities selected, three

activities were considered as low-intensity (53

MET), four activities as moderate-intensity (�3

MET, but �5.9 MET), and three activities as high-

intensity (�6 MET) based on the PA recommenda-

tion by the American College of Sports Medicine

and the American Heart Association [16] and the

CPA [5].

Classification of physical activities

The selected PAs were then classified into four

categories as it was briefly explained in the Introduc-

tion section, including: (a) AAO (e.g. forestry, ax

chopping fast: 17 METs [5]), (b) ABS (e.g. washing

dishes: able-bodied persons in standing position, 2.3

METs vs. lower level SCI persons in sitting position,

2.3 METs [17]), (c) ABD (e.g. vacuuming: 3.5

METs for able-bodied persons vs. 3.0 METs for

persons with lower level of SCI [17]), and (d) ADO

(e.g. wheeling on grass: persons with SCI (T4–T5),

6.1 METs [17]). Among 10 activities selected in this

study, three were considered ABS, three ABD, and

four ADO. Table I summarizes selected activities,

their estimated intensity levels (approximate MET

values), and the PA category. ADO MET values,

which are unique activities to PP, were selected

according to paraplegia literatures [17,13] and from

our own pilot study.

Data collection

Data on body composition, RMR, oxygen consump-

tion ( _VO2) during 10 PAs, and _VO2 peak were

collected. To complete all the tests, participants

visited the laboratory three times, and all tests were

completed within 14 days. Body composition, i.e.

fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat%, was measured

by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; QDR

4500 Elite, Hologic, Bedford, MA).

RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry using

a canopy (Quark b2 with Canopy kit, COSMED,

Italy) in the early morning before the participants

typically start their day following a 12-h fast.

Participants were also asked to avoid vigorous PA

for 24 h prior to testing. The participants came to the

laboratory by car to reduce their PA prior to testing.

Participants were asked to take rest for about 30 min

in the supine position in an isolated room with the

temperature controlled between 218C and 248C

Table I. Selected PA and its intensity.

No. About METs Category Type of activity Specific activities

1 1.5 ABS Occupation Working on computer

2 1.0 ABS Inactivity, quiet Sitting and watching TV

3 1.8 ABS Miscellaneous Reading

4 �3, but �6 ADO Unique Pushing wheelchair on a tile floor

5 3.5 ABD Home activity Vacuuming

6 3.5 ABD Home activity Mopping

7 6.0 ABD Home activity Moving furniture, household items, or boxes

8 56 ADO Unique Pushing wheelchair on a sidewalk

9 56 ADO Unique Pushing on the ramp up

10 �3, but �6 ADO Conditioning exercise Arm ergo meter 60 W at 60 rpm

ABS, activity by both able-bodied and disability populations with similar METs; ABD, activity by both able-bodied and disability

populations with different METs; ADO, activity by a targeted disability population only.

338 M. Lee et al.

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Page 4: Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia

before collecting data. Following the protocol devel-

oped by Haugen et al. [18], RMR was measured for

30 min, but the first 15 min of data were deleted and

only the last 15 min of RMR data were used for the

calculation. The collected RMR data were also used

for calculating the MET values to verify whether the

RMR of PP is the same as the RMR of able-bodied

persons (3.5 mL _VO2/kg/min)._VO2 of 10 PAs was collected by indirect calori-

metry (K4b2, COSMED, Italy) for 10 min each.

Before performing each PA, heart rate (HR) was

measured and the data collection was begun when

the HR was similar to resting HR (within+ 10

beats). All instruments were calibrated prior to the

data collection [19,20]. The participants performed

all PAs as close as possible to how they would

perform them in their daily lives. For working on

computer, reading, and watching TV, participants

sat quietly about 10 min first and then begun the

data collection. The participants were mopping on a

tile floor and vacuuming on a standard carpet. To

keep the experimental setting as natural as possible,

the room was filled with office furniture, such as

chairs, desks, tables, etc. Pushing on the tile was set

at a participant’s ordinary pushing speed and

pushing on the side walk was set at 40% faster than

pushing speed on the tile. Pushing on the ramp was

simulated to push up and down on of a long theater

or hospital hallway ramp. To control for a carry-over

effect or fatigue from previous PAs, a counter-

balanced design was employed [21]. Minute-by-

minute _VO2 data were used for calculating MET

values. The first 3 min and the last minute of _VO2

data were deleted to obtain stable data and the

average _VO2 of the remaining 6 min was used to

calculate the MET value of each activity.

Finally, a standardized arm ergometer discontin-

uous protocol [22–24] was employed to measure_VO2 peak in which the work rate was started at 0 W

for a warm up, and then was increased 10 W every

2 min with the crank rate at 60 (rev/min) throughout

the test. The participants took a 1-min rest between

each stage and their blood pressure was measured for

safety purposes during the rest period.

Data processing and statistical analysis

Measured oxygen consumption ( _VO2 mL/kg/min) of

RMR data was averaged to obtain 1 MET of PP and

the mean of a participant’s own RMR was computed

to calculate MET values. To calculate each partici-

pant’s observed MET values for 10 PAs from raw

data, the following formula (1) was employed:

METPA ¼_VO2 of PA ðmL=kg=minÞ

_VO2 of resting ðmL=kg=minÞð1Þ

The mean and standard deviation (SD) of the

MET value of each PA and the categories of PA were

classified. To determine the accuracy of the classi-

fication (e.g. if they are indeed ABS or ABD

activities), z-test was applied (Equation (2)):

z¼ Mean of observed MET values�MET value from CPA

SD of observed MET value

ð2Þ

When an absolute z-value is �1.96 [25], it

indicates that the observed MET values are different

from the MET values of the CPA (with Type I error

a¼ 0.05) and are classified as ABD. To scrutinize

the effect of 1 MET on MET values, the observed 1

MET of a PP and 1 MET of the CPA (3.5 _VO2 mL/

kg/min) were employed. To examine the difference

between MET values calculated using different 1

MET values, paired t-tests were applied.

The mean and SD of demographic variables by

group (e.g. gender, level of injury, and completeness

of lesions) were also calculated, and independent t-

tests were applied to examine the group difference.

Group difference of observed MET values was also

examined by independent t-tests. All alphas (a) were

set at 0.05. Bonferroni correction procedure was

employed to control Type I error when applicable.

All statistical analyses were completed using SPSS

15.0 software (SPSS, Chicago, IL) and related

software (e.g. Excel, Microsoft, Redmond, WA).

Results

The characteristics, physiological responses (e.g._VO2 or HR), and body composition of the partici-

pants by gender are reported in Table II. When

comparing group differences by gender, injury level,

or completeness of lesion, there were no statistical

differences between injury level and completeness of

lesion with p4 0.05 after Bonferroni correction.

There were gender differences in several variables.

RMR was found higher in males, p5 0.01 (1392+233 kcal/day vs. 1042+ 174 kcal/day), but the gen-

der difference disappeared when the RMR EE was

adjusted for FFM. Among the body composition

variables, only FFM and FAT% showed statistical

difference between genders.

One MET for the paraplegia group was 3.1

(+0.52) mL/kg/min of _VO2, which is lower than

the 3.5 mL/kg/min for people without disabilities in

the CPA (1 MET of CPA; p5 0.05). The means and

SDs of the group MET values in each PA selected

were computed and summarized in Table III.

The low intensity and unique activities satisfied

the expectations such that those activities were to

be classified as ABS or ADO. Even though it was

MET for paraplegia 339

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Page 5: Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia

assumed that vacuuming and mopping would be

categorized as ABD, those activities were actually

categorized as ABS, z5 1.96. Only moving chairs

was classified as the expected ABD, z¼72.3. In

other words, MET of moving chairs (4.2 MET)

using the observed 1 MET was different from the

MET (6.0 MET) in the CPA. There was no

statistical difference (p4 0.05) of MET values

between groups (i.e. gender, completeness of lesions,

and levels of injury) after applying the Bonferroni

correction.

Discussion

To be able to apply the CPA to persons with dis-

abilities, a supplement targeting a specific disability

population must be developed. This study addressed

two critical issues in developing such a supplement,

i.e. whether the ‘1 MET’ value needs redefining for

the targeted population and how a PA can be

included in the supplement, directly from the CPA,

modified from the CPA or developed outside the

CPA. In this study, 1 MET of PP was determined

and the difference of MET values was examined

between the observed values and values from the

CPA. The observed MET values were classified into

three-categories for PP to be able to extend the

existing CPA [5]. For individuals with paraplegia,

the 3.5 mL/kg/min value of 1 MET is not appro-

priate. Instead, 1 MET for PP (1 MET of paraplegia

group) was 3.1 mL _VO2/kg/min; therefore, 1 MET

of PP is clearly different from the assumed value

based on persons without disabilities. As a result, the

Table II. Descriptive statistics by gender.

Variables

Total (n¼ 31) Male (n¼19) Female (n¼ 12)

M SD M SD M SD

Height (cm) 161.26 22.99 164.95 28.11 155.42 9.34

Weight (kg) 60.52 15.32 66.26 15.53 51.42 9.89**

Age (year) 24.16 6.25 22.53 4.40 26.75 7.92_VO2peak (mL) 1545.01 504.08 1806.12 457.61 1131.58 214.69***

_VO2peak (mL/kg) 25.87 6.32 27.96 6.29 22.56 4.98*

RMR EE (kcal/day) 1256.97 271.33 1392.47 232.62 1042.42 174.07***

RMR _VO2 (mL/kg/min) 3.13 0.54 3.20 0.62 3.02 0.37

Total fat mass (kg) 16.20 6.76 15.04 7.13 17.38 6.27

Total lean mass (kg) 42.82 12.02 49.49 9.98 32.80 6.69***

Total fat% 26.44 8.92 22.12 6.90 32.91 7.75**

M, mean; SD, standard deviation; RMR, resting metabolic rate; EE, energy expenditure; and total fat%, percent of total fat.

*p50.05, **p50.01, ***p5 0.001.

Table III. MET values and category of the activities.

METs calculated using

Category1 MET of individuals (I) 1 MET of CPA (P) METs

from CPA

(M) values

z scores

I vs. MActivity M SD M SD Expected Observed

1 1.3 0.2 1.1 0.3 1.5 ABS ABS 70.9

2 1.2 0.2 1.1 0.2 1.0 ABS ABS 0.9

3 1.3 0.3 1.1 0.3 1.8 ABS ABS 71.8

4 2.7 0.6 2.4 0.6 ADO ADO

5 3.3 0.5 2.9 0.5 3.5 ABD ABS* 70.4

6 3.9 0.7 3.5 0.8 3.5 ABD ABS* 0.6

7 4.2 0.8 3.7 0.9 6.0 ABD ABD{ 72.3{

8 4.4 1.3 3.9 1.3 ADO ADO

9 4.4 0.9 3.9 0.9 ADO ADO

10 5.8 0.9 5.1 1.1 ADO ADO

I¼MET values were calculated based on individual’s RMR mL _VO2/kg/min in this study.

P¼MET values were calculated based on 1MET from CPA, which is 3.5 mL _VO2/kg/min for able-bodied people.

M¼MET values from compendium of physical activity [5].

*difference between expected and observed categories.{z4 1.96.

ABS, activity by both able-bodied and disability populations with similar METs; ABD, activity by both able-bodied and disability

populations with different METs; ADO, activity by a targeted disability population only.

340 M. Lee et al.

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EE of PP could be overestimated when using the 1

MET in the CPA (i.e. 3.5 mL/kg/min). Thus, the

subpopulation-specific 1 MET (3.1 mL of _VO2/kg/

min) should be used when estimating EE in people

with paraplegia.

Using participants’ own RMR, the MET values of

10 selected PA were calculated and then were

classified into one of three categories, ABS (i.e.

activity with similar METs for both able-bodied and

disability populations), ABD (i.e. activity with

different METs for able-bodied and disability

populations), and ADO (i.e. activity engaged only

by the targeted disability population). Five activities,

working on computer (1.3 MET), watching TV (1.2

MET), reading (1.3 MET), vacuuming (3.3 MET),

and mopping (3.9 MET) were classified as ABS.

Only the activity of moving chairs (4.2 MET) was

classified as ABD, which means the MET value of

this activity was different from the MET from the

CPA for people without disabilities. Wheelchair

pushing activities were classified as ADO and their

MET values were 2.7 MET for pushing on a tile

floor, 4.4 MET for pushing on a sidewalk, and 4.4

MET for pushing on a ramp. Arm ergometer

exercise at 60 W (5.8 MET) was also classified as

ADO. These findings indicate that the CPA can be

extended and include MET values of unique

activities engaged in by PP. The four-categories of

PA, i.e. AAO, ABS, ABD, and ADO, proposed

in this study provided a useful framework for

identifying and selecting PA for future supplement

development.

There were two other interesting findings of this

study. First, no statistical difference in MET values

was found between injury levels or completeness of

lesion. In a previous study [10], RMR and total

energy expenditure (TEE) of PP were different

depending on the completeness of lesion; for

instance, 10 persons with incomplete SCI

(2582+ 852 kcal/day) showed higher TEE than 18

persons with complete paraplegia (2072+ 505 kcal/

day). This could be caused by the lower level of

injury level (S4–5) compared to this study (T3-L

level). Surprisingly, many studies have been con-

ducted to compare _VO2 peak between different levels

of injury or completeness of lesions at T3-L level, but

a few studies have investigated the impact of injury

levels or completeness of lesions on TEE [10,11,

26,27]. Therefore, to examine the impact of injury

level and completeness of lesions on TEE more

studies are needed. Another possibility for the ‘no

difference’ result could be the intensity level of the

activities. Most of the previous studies [28–30]

employed _VO2 peak, as a high-intensity measure, as

the dependent variable, in the laboratory settings to

examine the group differences. In contrast, most of

the PAs employed in this study were of low-intensity

of common daily activities, which may not easily

discriminate the difference between the injury level

and completeness of lesions. Because MET values,

on the other hand, are commonly used as a

‘universal’ standardized unit, no group difference

could be helpful to develop the supplement of CPA

quicker for PP without considering the group

differences.

The second interesting finding is related to the

intensity level for PP. In the CPA, the activity of

moving chairs was expected to be a vigorous activity

(46.0 MET). However, actual MET value of this

activity is only 4.2 MET, which makes it a moderate

activity for people with paraplegia and put it into the

ABD category. Arm ergometer exercise at 60 W (5.8

MET) was also determined as a moderate activity

(MET�3 and�6) because it was short of the 6 MET

level needed to meet the definition of a vigorous

activity. According to the cut off of PA intensity using

oxygen consumption [4], vigorous activities (46

MET) are classified when maximal oxygen consump-

tion is 460% and moderate PA (�3 and�6 of MET)

is classified when it is defined at 40–59% of _VO2 peak.

Interestingly, in this study, arm ergometry exercise at

60 W elicited a mean of 69% of _VO2 peak (25.87 mL/

kg), 61% for males (27.96 mL/kg), and 83% for

females (22.56 mL/kg). Therefore, the difference of

the intensity of MET value is likely due to the relatively

low _VO2 peak of the individuals with paraplegia in this

study, suggesting that MET levels alone may not be an

appropriate way to describe the intensity of the activity

for persons with PP.

Finally, three limitations of this study should be

acknowledged. First, because we did not include

individuals with tetraplegia, the finding of this study

can only apply to PP. Second, all PA were performed

by PP who use self-propel wheelchair. It is a well-

known fact that many PP now use electric powered

wheelchairs or partially power-assisted wheelchairs

(e.g. pushrim-activated power-assisted wheelchairs;

PAPAW, [31]). In fact, the power-assisted wheel-

chairs have been found to be helpful for transfer and

to travel easily [32,33] with less pain, EE, and upper-

body extremity of motion compared with the self-

propel or manual wheelchairs. Therefore, it is

expected that the usage of this kind of partially

power-assisted wheelchairs will get more popular.

Because EE will be significantly reduced when using

powered or partially powered wheelchairs, the MET

values reported in this study should not be directly

applied to the users of these wheelchairs. The

adjustment for the MET values generated from

manual wheelchair studies is needed.

The third limitation of this study is that the impact

of individual variability on MET value estimation

was not investigated. Using the mean of individual

MET values, the MET value of a specific of PA is

MET for paraplegia 341

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Page 7: Determining metabolic equivalent values of physical activities for persons with paraplegia

determined. Although this group calibration practice

is a well accepted practice, it may not be appro-

priated for persons with disabilities due to their

known large variability [34,35]. One way to correct

the error of the group calibration is to employ

individual calibration, i.e. use one person’s own

MET values for prediction. In fact, individual

calibrations have been used in measuring PA and

related EE [36–38]. The cost of such a practice,

however, could be too high. Studies are needed to

determine the degree of errors when employing the

group calibration and accuracy improvement when

employing the individual calibration and associated

cost.

Conclusion

One MET for PP is 3.1 mL/kg/min, which is

different from that of CPA (3.5 mL/kg/min). The

MET values listed in CPA were also found different

from the ones observed from PP. These findings

confirmed that to be able to extend CPA to persons

with disabilities, the supplements that have

taken targeted subpopulations’ EE characteristics

and the types of activities they engaged into the

consideration must be constructed. Future studies

should include individuals with tetraplegia, examine

the difference between manual and powered wheel-

chairs users, and determine the impact of individual

variability.

Acknowledgments

We appreciate the tremendous help and support of

Drs. Kenneth Pitetti, Kyle Ebersole, Ellen Evans,

and Ms. Daina Mallard. This study was supported

by the Carl V. Gisolfi Memorial Research Fund from

the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Foundation and a Schneider Research Award,

College of Applied Sciences, University of Illinois

at Urbana-Champaign. The results of this study do

not constitute endorsement by ACSM.

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