Background: The prevalence of obesity is higher among populations in industrialized than in developing countries.
Objective: We sought to compare the relations of activity energy expenditure (AEE) with adiposity and weight change in 2 black populations with different levels of obesity.
Design: Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and resting energy expenditure (REE) were measured and AEE was calculated in 58 Nigerian and 34 US black women and men. Weight was remeasured after > or = 1 y in a subset of participants. AEE adjusted for body size and TDEE adjusted for REE were calculated with the use of the residual regression method. The cross-sectional relations between percentage body fat and activity were modeled by using regression analysis, and longitudinal relations between weight change and adjusted energy expenditure variables were calculated.
Results: Women and men from the United States weighed more, had more body fat, and had higher levels of TDEE, REE, and AEE than did those from Nigeria. Cross-sectionally, AEE was negatively associated with adiposity after adjustment for body size and age (P < 0.001), regardless of site. Between 60% and 80% of the variance in adiposity was explained by AEE or TDEE. REE, AEE, and TDEE adjusted for body size and age were negatively correlated with weight change among Nigerian women but not men.
Conclusions: The significant difference observed in mean adiposity between Nigerians and US blacks was not explained by differences in AEE. However, a low AEE was an important determinant of high percentages of body fat in black adults and was associated with increased weight gain in Nigerian women.