Energy expenditure by adolescents in night school

Objective It is well-known that energy expenditure provides a feasible way to measure the individual's energy needs. The final aim of this paper was to discover the level of physical activity and to quantify the energy expenditure of adolescents who either participated, otherwise, in the labor market. Methods This paper focussed on the evaluation of the energy expenditure of 273 students of both sexes attending the evening period of six schools belonging to the State School Network of Santo Andre State of S. Paulo, Brazil, through a self-applied questionnaire dealing with their physical, occupational and discretionary activities. Results Data revealed that the students who were employed worked from 40 to 50 hours a week earning a monthly salary varying fr om I to 3 Brazilian minimum wages. Watching television was the discretionary activity most frequently referred to. The energy expenditure of these students was 3,000 find 2,100 calories for boys and girls, respectively. Conclusions The results found indicated Bat the students who were on the labor market did not expend more energy than Bose who were not.