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ENTREPRENEURS TARGET HEALTH, FOOD AND LIFESTYLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH Is wellness and prevention a new growth opportunity for existing businesses and entrepreneurs?

Dr. Aimon Kopera and Dr. Paul Evans think so and they have the ideas and data to back it up.

The links between healthy populations, productive workforces and economic growth are well established.

According to the World Economic Forum, worldwide, $47 trillion of cumulative output loss can be expected in the next two decades due to employee chronic disease. Currently, 36 million deaths annually or more than 60% of global deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. However, it is also known that tackling key risk factors may prevent 80% of cardiovascular problems and 40% of cancers.

The New England Journal of Medicine, in their January 30, 2014, issue, cites evidence for interventions that start early: “multi-sector approaches that focus on children’s environments and that aim to alter early life systems are likely to be most effective in preventing obesity in populations.”

Kopera and Evans believe effective strategies to maintain wellness and prevention require exceptional levels of collaboration among stakeholders and across sectors (health, finance, education, media, food production, consumer food and lifestyle education, agriculture, urban planning, public transportation, and even recreational industries). For Kopera and Evans, alignment of objectives and coordination of efforts across stakeholders are necessary and essential to deliver high impact solutions that enable healthy lives. And, this is precisely what they are doing at the International Research Institute for Wellness and Prevention, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kopera an entrepreneur and MD who served in the International Medical Relief Operation under the United Nations and has worldwide health experience, and Evans, a former IBM, AT Kearney, and Young and Rubicam executive (who holds a doctorate in psychology) launched the International Institute for Wellness and Prevention (IRIWP) late in 2013. The institute brings together governments, private sector and civil society (consumers) to have a positive and measurable impact on healthy living through multi-stakeholder collaborations that support healthy, active lives for individuals, communities and societies.

In Atlanta a key element of the initiative is “The Atlanta O Project” an inner city campaign that links Atlanta’s leaders from the public sector, private sector and civil society to address healthy living in Atlanta’s communities and the need for multi-stakeholder collaborations to achieve it. In the Atlanta O Project the "O" stands for Origami (i.e., a transformation through the Origami Method, an IRIWP trademarked protocol for wellness and obesity prevention). By working with inner city youth, private sector leaders, community development organizations, and foundations the IRIWP is researching and developing programs and strategies that will positively influence the lifestyles and eating habits of inner city youth and at the same time provide models for food producers and retailers to offer, and in some cases, transition to healthy, cost effective, and profitable food products and service. “We believe involvement of both the inner city families and the private sector can have a positive benefit for both.” Evans said. And it’s not just a local problem. “We all know people are getting obese worldwide.” Dr. Kopera added, “The increase in the prevalence of obesity started in the rich countries, but has spread to middle- and low-income countries. The data suggests, obesity is more prevalent in affluent countries among poorer people, while the reverse is true in low-income countries.” “Through the institute we target people globally to make correct choices for their own wellness and prevention regardless of socioeconomic status or location.” Kopera said. To lay the groundwork for the Institute’s global approach to affecting civil society and wellness and prevention, Drs. Kopera and Evans have written and will release this month their multi-lingual book: “Food, an Origami Transformation”. The book is released both in English and Thai, under the same cover, and will be followed by Korean, Chinese, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Dutch and German editions.

At the Institute Kopera and Evans enlist the support of all businesses that affect the health sector to be positive change agents for society, seizing opportunities they might miss to improve systems, invent new approaches, and create solutions to enhance their business and help change society for the better. “We are creating a “win-win” for people and business”, Evans said. “Globalization and social media have made it increasingly difficult for companies to offer health, food, and lifestyle value propositions based on product and service ideas that are out of date or are in transition”, Evans said. “The ubiquity of electronic communication and the rise of social media have created a transparent business world in which incumbent companies are constantly exposed to image assaults and crisis management directives. At the same time, opportunities exist for new entrants and existing companies to develop products and services that become a point of lasting competitive differentiation in the new world of healthy living.” He added.

For more information contact: http://www.iriwp.com