Maternal attitudes and child-feeding practices: relationship with the BMI of Chilean children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chile has experienced the nutritional transition due to both social and economic progress. As a consequence, higher rates of overweight and obesity have been observed in children. In western countries, researchers have tried to determine pathways by which parents influence their children's eating behavior; up to now findings have been inconsistent. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cross-sectional and retrospective relationship between maternal attitudes and child-feeding practices and children's weight status in children who had been subject of an obesity prevention intervention for two years.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2006, for a cross-sectional study, a random sample of 232 children (125 girls, mean age 11.91 ± 1.56 y and 107 boys mean age 11.98 ± 1.51 y) was selected from three primary schools from a small city called Casablanca. Weight and height were determined to assess their nutritional status, using body mass index (BMI) <it>z </it>scores. Child-feeding practices and attitudes were determined cross-sectionally in 2006, using the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ). To analyze the relationship between trends in weight change and child-feeding practices and attitudes, BMI <it>z </it>scores of all the 232 children in 2003 were used.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cross-sectionally, mothers of overweight children were significantly more concerned (P < 0.01) about their child's weight. Mothers of normal weight sons used significantly more pressure to eat (P < 0.05). Only in boys, the BMI <it>z </it>score was positively correlated with concern for child's weight (r = 0.28, P < 0.05) and negatively with pressure to eat (r = -0.21, P < 0.05). Retrospectively, the change in BMI <it>z </it>score between age 9 and 12 was positively correlated with concern for child's weight, but only in boys (r = 0.21, P < 0.05). Perceived child weight and concern for child's weight, explained 37% in boys and 45% in girls of the variance in BMI <it>z </it>score at age 12.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mothers of overweight children were more concerned with their children's weight; this indicated the Western negative attitude towards childhood overweight. None of the child-feeding practices were significantly correlated with a change in BMI <it>z </it>score.</p

The combined effect of regulators’ and retailers’ actions to stimulate consumer participation in retail energy markets

Active consumer participation in retail markets is crucial for an affordable and sustainable energy transition. While energy regulators encourage active consumer participation through policies which decrease consumers’ switching costs, energy retailers seek to advance customer retention to boost profits. This study investigates how these seemingly opposing goals influence consumer participation in energy retail markets. Using data on the Dutch energy markets, we combine micro-economic and marketing insights through a retailer-aggregated panel vector auto-regression (VAR) model and a market-level VAR to analyse the dynamic interactions. The results indicate that the regulator affects consumer participation both directly and indirectly through energy retailers’ actions. We conclude that energy retailers’ acquisition and retention actions do not counteract the regulator’s efforts to increase active consumer participation. While retention actions lead to decreased switching behaviour, they concurrently decrease perceived switch costs while increasing search behaviour and the consideration to switch. Therefore, retention actions may still improve consumer welfare. Our research reveals mediating relations that require comprehensive examination of the overall impacts of regulatory policies and energy retailer’s actions

The combined effect of regulators’ and retailers’ actions to stimulate consumer participation in retail energy markets

Active consumer participation in retail markets is crucial for an affordable and sustainable energy transition. While energy regulators encourage active consumer participation through policies which decrease consumers’ switching costs, energy retailers seek to advance customer retention to boost profits. This study investigates how these seemingly opposing goals influence consumer participation in energy retail markets. Using data on the Dutch energy markets, we combine micro-economic and marketing insights through a retailer-aggregated panel vector auto-regression (VAR) model and a market-level VAR to analyse the dynamic interactions. The results indicate that the regulator affects consumer participation both directly and indirectly through energy retailers’ actions. We conclude that energy retailers’ acquisition and retention actions do not counteract the regulator’s efforts to increase active consumer participation. While retention actions lead to decreased switching behaviour, they concurrently decrease perceived switch costs while increasing search behaviour and the consideration to switch. Therefore, retention actions may still improve consumer welfare. Our research reveals mediating relations that require comprehensive examination of the overall impacts of regulatory policies and energy retailer’s actions

El modelo de consenso sobre el Sistema de Certificación en Docencia en Educación Superior en Holanda: un fenómeno típicamente holandés

[EN] This article describes the process which led to the introduction of a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) at research universities in the Netherlands. Until 2008, the only requirements to get appointed as a lecturer at most Dutch research universities pertained to research competences. This changed in 2008 when all Dutch research universities signed the Mutual Agreement of University Teaching Qualification. In 2005 staff developers of six universities initiated a working group to support the idea of a mutual agreement of the UTQ. Their initiative was taken over by two Vice Chancellors but at that time there was no consensus between all the research universities. This changed by political pressure of the Ministry of Education and student unions. The Dutch UTQ is mandatory, but not by law. The UTQ Agreement describes the scheme that concerns the embedding of the UTQ certification procedures in the participating universities. The mutual recognition of the UTQ is an example of a typical Dutch phenomenon called the Polder Model a strategy of consensus based policy making and a pragmatic recognition of pluriformity.[ES] El artículo describe el proceso que condujo a la introducción de un título de enseñanza universitaria (UTQ) en las universidades de investigación en los Países Bajos. Hasta 2008, los únicos requisitos para ser profesor en la mayoría de las universidades de investigación holandeses se remitían a competencias en investigación. Esto cambió en 2008, cuando todas las universidades de investigación holandeses firmaron el Acuerdo Mutuo de la Universidad de Cualificación Docente. En 2005 los formadores de seis universidades iniciaron un grupo de trabajo para apoyar la idea de un acuerdo mutuo sobre la UTQ. Su iniciativa fue asumida por dos Rectores, sin que hubiera consenso entre todas las universidades de investigación. Esto cambió por la presión política de la Consejería de Educación y los sindicatos de estudiantes. Ahora el UTQ es obligatorio, pero no por la ley. El Acuerdo UTQ describe el esquema que se refiere a la incorporación de los procedimientos de certificación UTQ en las universidades participantes. El reconocimiento mutuo de la UTQ es un ejemplo de un típico fenómeno holandés, el modelo pólder, una estrategia basada en el consenso en la formulación de políticas y un reconocimiento pragmático de la pluriformidad.De Jong, R.; Mulder, J.; Deneer, P.; Van Keulen, H. (2013). Poldering a teaching qualification system in Higher Education in the Netherlands: a typical Dutch phenomenon. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 11(3):23-40. https://doi.org/10.4995/redu.2013.5517OJS2340113Association of Universities in the Netherlands/ VSNU (2008). Mutual agreement on a national framework of a University Teaching Qualification System (Overeenkomst Wederzijdse erkenning Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs: BKO). The Hague.Board of the University of Groningen (2013). University of Groningen Critical Reflection 2013. GroningenGerritsen, R.J., Jong, R. de, & Alst, J. M. T. van (2004). Toetsen van docentcompetenties: professionaliseringsbeleid voor docenten. TH&MA, 2004(5), 53-61.Gibbs, G. (2005). NTFS Report on Utrecht University. Oxford: NTFS.Jong, R. de (2012). Teaching competencies: qualification frameworks and external audits. The Dutch example: how to unite uniformity and flexibility. Lecture presented at the annual RED-U meeting, 02-02-1012 Bilbao, Spain.Jong, R. de, & Keulen, H. van. (2007) De lange weg naar competente én gekwalificeerde docenten, Onderzoek van Onderwijs, 36/3, 44-47.Jong, R. de, Alst, J. van, Andernach, T., Baume, D., Diez, A., Keulen, H. van, Petegem, P. van (2010). International agreement on a Qualification for University Teaching, Let's make a start as experts in staff development. Workshop at the ICED Conference 2010, Barcelona, Spain.Jong, R. de, Andernach, T., Barendsen, E. & Mulder, J. (2011). Externe kwaliteitsborging BasisKwalificatie Onderwijs in de Praktijk, Een onderzoek naar een bruikbaar auditsysteem'. The Hague: SoFoKles.Keesen, F., Wubbels, T., Tartwijk, J. van, & Bouhuijs, P. A. J. (1996). Preparing university teachers in The Netherlands: Issues and trends. International Journal for Academic Development, 1(2), 8-16.Keulen, J.van, Alst, J. van, Jong, R. de, & Halma, A. (2006). Towards a national system of teaching qualifications in higher education in the Netherlands. Paper presented at the ICED Conference 2006, Sheffield, EnglandKeulen, H. van, Jong, R de, Deneer, P. (2008). Characteristics of successful faculty development programs. Paper presented at the ICED Conference 2008, Salt Lake City, USA.Kranenburg, M. (1999), The political branch of the polder model, The economist (May 2002) ModelmakersMulder, J.A., Jong, R. A.H. de & Andernach, J.A. (2012). University Teaching Qualification: Quality assurance via external audits in the Netherlands. Paper presented at the 2012 ICED conference, Bangkok, Thailand

Can Transgenic Maize Affect Soil Microbial Communities?

The aim of the experiment was to determine if temporal variations of belowground activity reflect the influence of the Cry1Ab protein from transgenic maize on soil bacteria and, hence, on a regulatory change of the microbial community (ability to metabolize sources belonging to different chemical guilds) and/or a change in numerical abundance of their cells. Litter placement is known for its strong influence on the soil decomposer communities. The effects of the addition of crop residues on respiration and catabolic activities of the bacterial community were examined in microcosm experiments. Four cultivars of Zea mays L. of two different isolines (each one including the conventional crop and its Bacillus thuringiensis cultivar) and one control of bulk soil were included in the experimental design. The growth models suggest a dichotomy between soils amended with either conventional or transgenic maize residues. The Cry1Ab protein appeared to influence the composition of the microbial community. The highly enhanced soil respiration observed during the first 72 h after the addition of Bt-maize residues can be interpreted as being related to the presence of the transgenic crop residues. This result was confirmed by agar plate counting, as the averages of the colony-forming units of soils in conventional treatments were about one-third of those treated with transgenic straw. Furthermore, the addition of Bt-maize appeared to induce increased microbial consumption of carbohydrates in BIOLOG EcoPlates. Three weeks after the addition of maize residues to the soils, no differences between the consumption rate of specific chemical guilds by bacteria in soils amended with transgenic maize and bacteria in soils amended with conventional maize were detectable. Reaped crop residues, comparable to post-harvest maize straw (a common practice in current agriculture), rapidly influence the soil bacterial cells at a functional level. Overall, these data support the existence of short Bt-induced ecological shifts in the microbial communities of croplands' soils

Illness Management & Recovery (IMR) in the Netherlands; a naturalistic pilot study to explore the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial

Multivariate analysis of psychological dat

Symptomatic and Functional recovery: Does symptom severity affect the recovery of executive functioning in people with a psychotic disorder?

Background:Recovery in psychotic disorder patients is a multidimensional concept that can include personal, symptomatic, societal and functional recovery. Here we define Functional Recovery (FR) as recovery or compensation after the loss or impairment of skills in different cognitive functions. Some of the most impaired cognitive functions in psychosis are the executive functions, whose impairment in people with a psychotic disorder can produce problems that are difficult to overcome, partly because treatment often focuses only on Symptomatic Recovery (SR). Although symptom severity may be a risk factor for longstanding impairments of executive functioning, the association is not always found. To date, there has been little research on the association between the 2.MethodThis study is part of the UP’S study, a longitudinal cohort study of patients with a psychotic disorder. The Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning Adult version (BRIEF-A) was used to measure FR at baseline and after 1 year. SR was measured using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale-Remission (PANSS-R), also at baseline and 1 year? At both time points, correlations were computed as cross-sectional analyses. For the longitudinal analysis, the difference scores were used to calculate generalized linear models. Model selection was based on the Wald-Chi square test.Results323 people were included for the baseline assessment of the UP’S study, 163 of whom had completed the T1 follow-up measurement at the time of this study. We found a moderate association between PANSS-R baseline scores and BRIEF-A baseline scores (β=3.76). While there was also an association between the PANSS-R score at baseline and the BRIEF-A difference scores (β=1.67), we found no association between the PANSS-R difference scores and the BRIEF-A differences scores.ConclusionOur finding that less overall symptom severity was associated with 1 year improvement in executive functioning suggests that symptom severity could be a way of improving executive functioning over a year. However, as no link was found within the year between changes in symptoms and changes in executive functioning, it is possible that symptom severity does not have an immediate effect on executive functioning, but that its effect is delayed. This leaves scope for targeted interventions to improve executive functioning, and thus functional recovery