Increasing economic prosperity and industrialization have precipitated demographic, nutritional and epidemiologic transitions in many developing countries like Jamaica. These epidemiologic transitions are characterized by receding mortality from infection and malnutrition and the rapid emergence of an epidemic of obesity and its co-morbidities, hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerotic vascular disease. Risk factors for increasing obesity of populations are likely to include decreased physical activity related energy expenditure. There is an urgent need for effective, feasible and sustainable interventions to ameliorate the epidemic of chronic diseases associated with obesity in developing countries. Key to achieving prevention, however, is detailed knowledge of the pathways to weight gain in different populations. In this project, we propose to measure a major component of physical activity energy expenditure, Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis in urban dwellers and rural agricultural workers in Jamaica. We are now equipped with technology, the Physical Activity Monitoring System (PAMS) to provide such information. With it, we plan to address three hypotheses in urban dwellers from Jamaica compared with age and gender matched, rural agricultural workers in Jamaica; a) Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) is decreased, b) the Physical Activity Monitoring System is valid and, c) the components of NEAT are different. These research findings will be used to develop intervention programs for the prevention of obesity and associated chronic non-communicable diseases in Jamaica and possibly in other developing countries. This research will be done primarily in Jamaica at the University of the West Indies in collaboration with Dr. James Levine at the Mayo Clinic, as an extension of NIH Grant, DK RO1-66270. ? ? ?
