Validity of heart-rate based measurements of oxygen consumption during work with light and moderate physical activity

• For ergonomic purposes it is useful to quantify the energy expenditure and the level of physical activity imposed on workers. Oxygen consumption (VO₂) is often used to calculate energy expenditure and can be used as an indication of physical activity. Twenty-five subjects participated in the study. Oxygen consumption (VO₂) in L O₂/min and heart-rate (HR) in beats per minute (bpm) were simultaneously measured during different work tasks at each individual's workplace. Ninety-one different work tasks with light or moderate physical activity were included (physical activity was classified by the VO₂ measurements). Estimated oxygen consumption (L O₂/min) was then calculated by using the HR measurements in bpm combined with individual HR-VO₂ equations established in a laboratory. Although heart-rate based estimations of individual oxygen consumption showed relatively low precision, heart-rate measurements in combination with individual exponential HR-VO₂ equations can be used to discriminate between work involving light physical activity and work involving moderate physical activity.

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