# MET-hours per week

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/met-hours/  
OnCo record `met-hours` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

The unit used to measure how much exercise someone does. One MET is the energy of sitting quietly; brisk walking is about 4 METs, so 45 minutes of brisk walking is 3 MET-hours. Guidelines aim for around 10 MET-hours a week.

## Summary

MET-hours per week integrate intensity and duration and allow dose-response analysis across cohorts and trials. Observational studies in colon and breast cancer survivors show 40-50% lower mortality above roughly 18 MET-hours/week versus under 3; the CHALLENGE trial targeted an increase of 10 MET-hours/week over baseline, achieved with three to four brisk walks. The measure is self-reported in most studies, which accelerometry and wearables are replacing.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: Metabolic equivalent of task; Exercise dose

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent_of_task
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent_of_task

## Connected records

- ideas: [A dose-finding trial for exercise after cancer](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-nl-exercise-dose-finding/)
- technologies: [Exercise & lifestyle oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/exercise-oncology/), [Exercise during chemotherapy and radiotherapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/exercise-during-chemotherapy/), [Structured exercise programmes after curative treatment](https://onco.cc/technologies/structured-exercise-survivorship/), [The exercise prescription after cancer: the dose the guidelines state](https://onco.cc/technologies/exercise-prescription-after-cancer/)
- terms: [Energy balance](https://onco.cc/terms/energy-balance/)
- trials: [CHALLENGE (CCTG CO.21)](https://onco.cc/trials/challenge/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/met-hours.json