Determinants of vitamin D status in young children : results from the Belgian arm of the IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) study

Objective: To describe the vitamin D status of Belgian children and examine the influence of non-nutritional determinants, in particular of anthropometric variables. Design: Cross-sectional data of Belgian participants of the EU 6th Framework Programme IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) Study. Setting: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured using RIA. Vitamin D status was categorized as deficient (= 75 nmol/1). Anthropometric measurements included height, weight, waist and hip circumferences and triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses. Subjects: Children (n 357) aged 4-11 years. Results: Serum 25(OH)D) ranged from 13.6 to 123.5 nmol/1 (mean 47.2 (SD 14.6) nmol/1); with 5% deficient, 53% insufficient, 40% sufficient and 2% optimal. No significant differences were found by age and gender. Significant differences in 25(OH)D were observed for month of sampling (P < 0.001), number of hours playing outside per week (r = 0.140), weight (r = -0.121), triceps (r = -0.112) and subscapular (r = -0.119) skinfold thickness, sum of two skinfold thicknesses (r = -0.125) and waist circumference (r = -0.108). Linear regression analysis of 25(OH)D adjusted for age, month of sampling and hours playing outside per week suggested that (i) weight, (ii) BMI Z-score, (iii) waist circumference and (iv) triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness (as well as the sum of both) independently influenced 25(OH)D. Conclusions: The majority of Belgian children had a suboptimal vitamin D status, with more than half having an insufficient status in winter and spring. Month of the year, weekly number of hours playing outside and body composition - both central and abdominal obesity - were identified as important determinants of vitamin D status in Belgian children

Ondernemen tussen wetenschap en beleid in Vlaanderen: inzichten van vijf jaar Steunpunt Ondernemen en Internationaal Ondernemen

students and practitioners the Earned Value concept, which is discussed in the PMBOK and is supported by many of the commercial project management software packages:the Project Team Builder (PTB) and ProTrack’s Assistant. PTB is a training tool that won the PMI product of the year award for 2008. ProTrack’s Assistant is an automatic tool added on the ProTrack software tool that integrates lessons learned from an Earned Value research study awarded by the IPMA research 2008 award

An act of passion: stakeholder power tensions at play in team member entry

For Flemish entrepreneurs, human resource management (HRM) is one of the biggest challenges for further development and growth. Hence, we aim to shed light on how successful entrepreneurs in Flanders manage their human resources. Building on the growth models of Greiner and Ulrich, we conducted a qualitative study of various human resource practices within Flemish entrepreneurial firms in different sectors and stages of growth. We investigated the interplay between the focus of HRM and the growth phase of a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME). The main objective is to better understand the major challenges entrepreneurs experience when managing people during the first stages of company growth. Our findings suggest that HRM within growing SMEs shifts from an operational focus on people to a more strategic focus on procedures. Throughout the process of evolution, entrepreneurs need to find the right balance of HR practices, paying attention to formalization, delegation, and coaching. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Ondernemen tussen wetenschap en beleid in Vlaanderen: inzichten van vijf jaar Steunpunt Ondernemen en Internationaal Ondernemen

In this paper we discuss some ideas, tools and techniques that may help projec