2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities

The Compendium of Physical Activities was published in 1993 to improve the comparability of energy expenditure values assigned to self-reported physical activity (PA) across studies. The original version was updated in 2000, and again in 2011, and has been widely used to support PA research, practice, and public health guidelines.

This 2024 update was tailored for adults 19-59 years of age by removing data from those ≥60 years. Using a systematic review and supplementary searches, we identified new activities and their associated measured metabolic equivalent (MET) values (using indirect calorimetry) published since 2011. We replaced estimated METs with measured values when possible.