Bioenergetic quantification and qualification of physical activity for public health recommendations

For physical activity promotion to be effective from a public health view, adequate communication between the different actors is required. In this perspective, we propose to explicit the bioenergetic notions used to quantify and qualify intensity of physical activities, physical activity and sedentary behaviors, and lifestyles. Public health recommendations for physical activity in healthy adults from different authorities vary between 675 and 1350 METs/min per week, which, for example, is the equivalent of the energy spent with the participation 5 times per week in activities leading to a 4.5-times increase of the basal metabolic rate during 30 or 60 minutes for the low and high limit, respectively. For every population category, researchers in different scientific fields and all various responsible actors must work harder or better to reach successful physical activity promotion that would be evidenced by rarefaction of sedentary lifestyles. Very different lifestyles are compatible with energy expenditure large enough at a population scale to contribute to the prevention and control of many non-communicable diseases. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.