Development of new equations for basal metabolic rate for adolescent student Indian population.

Background: Calculation of daily calorie needs is extremely essential in several aspects of public health nutrition. Aims: To check the applicability of the existing equations for the prediction of basal metabolic rate (BMR) for Indian adolescent population and to develop an appropriate equation for the estimation of BMR for Indian adolescent population. Materials and Methods: BMR was assessed in 152 healthy, adolescent student aged between 18 and 20 years. BMR is calculated from the measured skinfold parameters. Body density was determined by the equation suggested by Durnin and Wormley using the skinfold parameters (triceps, subscapula, biceps, and SIM). Siri's equation is employed for calculating the percentage of body fat from the body density. Eventually, the BMR is calculated using Cunningham's equation. The actual BMR's were compared with values obtained from published prediction equations that used solely, or in various combinations, measures of height, weight, and age. Results: The equations suggested in the literature (Henry, Schofield, and Cole) are not able to predict the BMRs for Indian adolescent population. Hence, a new equation involving weight of an individual is suggested for Indian adolescent population. Conclusions: There is a need for generation of appropriate BMR prediction equations for Indian population for various age groups.