RUI: The Flex Heart Rate Method in Longitudinal Studies of Daily Energy Expenditure

Pomona College, Claremont CA

Investigators

Abstract

The longitudinal measurement of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is an important component of research in anthropology, nutrition, and related disciplines. Flex-HR is a method of measuring TDEE based on the monitoring of heart rate. It is well-validated, powerful, and practical in both field and laboratory settings. Flex-HR, however, is seldom used in longitudinal research because it requires participants to undergo a cumbersome lab-based calibration routine within one week of each measurement of TDEE. Frequent repetition of this calibration routine would become overly burdensome and could significantly alter the normal activities of research participants. This study will determine the validity of a modified flex-HR method in which the calibration routine is less frequently applied during longitudinal studies. The project will employ a repeated measures design in which the TDEE of 24 participants will be measured, with the full calibration routine, at bi-weekly intervals for four months with seven and ten month follow-ups. During analysis it will then be possible to determine what the effect would have been of having forgone multiple iterations of the calibration routine. All laboratory measurements will be carried out in the Anthropology Laboratory at Pomona College and participants will be drawn from the student bodies of the Claremont Colleges. Consistent with the goals of the NSF Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) program, this project will promote undergraduate research and training. In addition to facilitating independent research by students, it will provide research assistants with hands-on training in the theory and methods of energetics research. The project will also strengthen research facilities in the Pomona College Department of Anthropology, and generate a database and other materials that will enhance instruction in nutritional anthropology and research methods.