To set the estimated energy requirement (EER) in Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI), we need the coefficient by physical activity stage, as determined by the physical activity level(PAL). Thus, there has been demand for a tool to calculate PAL based on the physical activity diary. This study was undertaken to develop a physical activity (PA) classification table for Koreans, using the 2011 Compendium of physical activities in the United States. The PA classification table for Koreans contains 262 codes, and values of the metabolic equivalent of task (MET) for specific activities. Of these, 243 PAs which do not have Korean specific data or information, were selected from the 2011 Compendium of PAs that originated in the United States; another 19 PAs were selected from the previous research data of Koreans. The PA classification table is codified to facilitate the selection of energy values corresponding to each PA. The code for each PA consists of a single letter alphabet (activity category) and four numeric codes that display the activity type (2 digit number), activity intensity (1 digit number), and specific activities (1 digit number). In addition, the intensity (sedentary behavior, low, middle and high) of specific PA and its rate of energy expenditure in MET are presented together. The activity categories are divided into 4 areas: Daily Activity (A), Movement (B), Occupation (C), and Exercise and Sports (D). The developed PA classification table can be applied to quantify the energy cost of PA for adults in research or practice, and to assess energy expenditure and physical activity levels based on self-reported PA.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The doubly labeled water (DLW) method is the gold standard for estimating total energy expenditure (TEE) and is also useful for verifying the validities of dietary evaluation tools. In this study, we compared the accuracy of total energy intakes (TEI) estimated by the 24-h diet recall method with TEE obtained using the doubly labeled water method. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study involved 71 subjects aged 20–49 yrs. Over a 14-day period, three 24-h diet recalls per subject (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) were used to estimate energy intakes, while TEE was measured using the DLW method. The paired t-test was used to determine the significance of differences between TEI and TEE results, and the accuracy of the 24-h recall method was determined by accuracy predictions percentage, root mean square error, and bias. RESULTS: Average study subject age was 33.4 ± 8.6 yrs. The association between TEI and TEE was positive and significant (r = 0.463, P < 0.001), and the difference between TEI (2,084.3 ± 684.2 kcal/day) and TEE (2,401.7 ± 480.3 kcal/day) was also significant (P < 0.001). In all study subjects, mean TEI was 12.0% (307.5 ± 629.3 kcal/day) less than mean TEE, and 12.2% (349.4 ± 632.5 kcal/day) less in men and 11.8% (266.7 ± 632.5 kcal/day) less in women. Rates of TEI underprediction for all study subjects, men, and women, were 60.5%, 51.4%, and 66.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that 24-h diet recall underreports energy intakes. More research is needed to corroborate our findings and evaluate the accuracy of 24-h recall with respect to additional demographics.