activity factor

Last reviewed 01/2018

The activity factor is a numerical factor that multiplies the resting metabolic rate in order to reflect the level of physical activity - skeletal muscle work - that the patient is undertaking.

It is very variable, constituting for example, 15% of total energy expenditure in immobile patients compared to 50% in manual labourers. Typically, for patients mobile around the ward, the activity factor is around 1.25.