Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T10:55:11.424Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Energy expenditure of male farmers in dry and rainy seasons in Upper-Volta

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Thierry Brun
Affiliation:
Unité de Recherches sur la Nutrition et I'Alimentation, U. I. INSERM, Hôpital Bichat, 170 Bd Ney, 75018 Paris, France
Fanny Bleiberg
Affiliation:
Unité de Recherches sur la Nutrition et I'Alimentation, U. I. INSERM, Hôpital Bichat, 170 Bd Ney, 75018 Paris, France
Samuel Goihman
Affiliation:
Unité de Recherches sur la Nutrition et I'Alimentation, U. I. INSERM, Hôpital Bichat, 170 Bd Ney, 75018 Paris, France
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. Thirty Mossi male farmers from Upper-Volta were investigated, twenty-three in the dry season (March-April) and sixteen in the rainy season (July-August), eight of them being studied twice. A 48 htime-and-motion study was carried out and the daily energy expenditure was computed.

2. The mean height was 1.70 m and the mean weight 58.5 kg. The average percentage of body fat calculated from skinfold thickness was 10.

3. During the dry season the subjects could be classified as very moderately active with an energy output of 10.1 MJ (2410 kcal)/d. By contrast, with an energy expenditure of 14.4 MJ (3460 kcal)/d, they were considered as exceptionally active in July-August when performing the agricultural work.

4. In this study we measured the intensity of physical work in a society where human labour is still the main tool of production. The determination of seasonal variations in energy expenditure may be useful to assess the nutritional requirements in arid zones of West Africa.

Type
Papers of direct to Clinical and Human Nutrition
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1981

References

Ancey, G. (1974). Facteurs et Systèmes de Production dans la Société Mossi d Aujourd hui, Migration-Travail: Terre et Capital. ORSTOM: Centre de Ouagadougon.Google Scholar
Ashworth, A. (1968). Br. J. Nutr. 22, 341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bleiberg, F., Brun, T., Goihman, S. & Gouba, E. (1980). Br. J. Nutr. 43, 71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brun, T., Bleiberg, F., Ancey, G., Bonny, S. (1980). Environ. Afric., Dakar. 73, 15.Google Scholar
Christensen, E. H. (1953). Physiological Valuation of Work in the Nykroppa Iron Works Ergonomics Society Symposium on Fatigue [Floyd, W. H. and Welford, A. T., editors]. London: Lewis.Google Scholar
Dema, I. S. (1967). 9th A. Conf Sci. Ass. Nigeria, University of Logos.Google Scholar
Dieng K., Lemonnier, D., Bleiberg, F. & Brun, T. (1980). Nutr. Rep. int. 21, 183.Google Scholar
Durnin, J. V. G. A. & Passmore, R. (1967). Energy, Work and Leisure. London: Heinemann.Google Scholar
FAO/WHO. (1973). Tech. Rep. Ser. W.H.O. no. 522.Google Scholar
Fox, R. H. (1953). Energy Expenditure of Africans engaged in various rural activities. PhD Thesis, University of London.Google Scholar
Hunter, J. M. (1967). Inst. Br. Georgr. Trans. Papers 41, 167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inter-departmental Committee on Nutrition for National Development. (1963). Manual for Nutrition Surveys. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Jelliffe, D. B. (1969). Monograph Ser. W.H.O. no. 53.Google Scholar
Longhurst, R. & Payne, P. (1979). Seasonal Aspects of Nutrition. Review of Evidence and Policy Implications. Discussion Paper. Brighton, Sussex: Inst. Dev. Studies.Google Scholar
Phillips, P. G. (1954). J. trop. Med. 57, 12.Google Scholar