An activity coefficient was established for each particpant by multiplying the time spent in each activity by
coefficients related to the activity type and dividing the
result by 24 h (WHO, 1985; Ortega et al., 1996a). A coeficient of 1 for sleeping and resting, 1.5 for very light
activities (those that can be done sitting or standing up
such as ironing, typing or painting), 25 for light activities
(e.g. walking), five for moderate activities (e.g. playing
tennis, skiing and dancing) and seven for intensive activties (e.g. cutting down trees and playing basketball). The
weekday coefficient was multiplied by 6, the Sunday coefficient was then added to the weekday result and the total
was divided by 7. This provided the physical activity level
(PAL) for each participant