ABSTRACT
Background of the study: Assessment of the energy cost of physical activities is very important for individuals who wish to lose their weight, control their food intake to match their energy output and to improve public health. Despite physical activity being a well-known topic, there have been limited evidence on the evaluation of energy cost of physical activities among healthy young adults in University of Benin.
Aim(s): This study compared the energy cost of three different physical activities using a bicycle ergometer, flat surface walking and treadmill walking amongst apparently healthy young adults in University of Benin, Benin city.
Methods and Materials: An experimental study design, which involved sixty (60) undergraduate students of University of Benin. Apparatus such as stadiometer and weighing scale was used to determine the height (m) and weight (kg) of the participants respectively. Energy expenditure (Kcal) was assessed with the aid of Activpal accelerometer, stop watch, treadmill and bicycle ergometer. Descriptive statistics of mean,one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post HOC test were used to analyze the data. Level of significance was at p<0.05.
Results: The result showed that treadmill walking resulted in a higher energy expenditure as compared to bicycle ergometer cycling/flat surface walking among apparently healthy young adults in University of Benin (p=0.00). A significant difference was seen in energy cost among the three groups of physical activities (p=0.00).
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that energy expenditure is determined by the type of physical activity. Treadmill walking requires higher energy expenditure compared to bicycle ergometer and flat surface walking.
Keywords: Energy expenditure, Physical activity, Treadmill walking, Bicycle ergometer cycling, Flat surface walking.
