2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of measurement studies (level assigned by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
PubMed 38242596 · doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2023.10.010
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review and supplementary literature searches for studies published since 2011 reporting metabolic equivalent (MET) values measured via indirect calorimetry. The dataset was restricted to adults aged 19–59 years by removing older adult data (≥60 years). The authors screened 32,173 abstracts and 1,507 full-text papers to update existing entries, replace estimated METs with measured values, and add new physical activities.
What was found
From 701 included papers, 2,356 energy expenditure values were extracted. The authors added 303 new physical activities, modified 176 existing MET values and descriptions, and created a new Major Heading for Video Games. The final 2024 Adult Compendium includes 1,114 physical activities (912 measured and 202 estimated) across 22 Major Headings.
Why it matters
This compendium provides the standard reference for quantifying physical activity intensity and energy expenditure across epidemiology, exercise science, clinical guidance, and consumer health technologies.
Limits
A total of 202 of the 1,114 activities (18.1%) still rely on estimated rather than directly measured MET values. The dataset explicitly excludes individuals aged 60 and older and children, limiting direct applicability to those populations. Participant-level characteristics and variability across individual studies were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports An hour of hard cardiovascular running exercise burns approximately 500 to 600 calories.