The idea: My idea is to create an online platform which would be a community-driven hub for health, fitness, wellness and everything in between. It will be a meeting point for all categories of health professional (doctors, medical practitioners, dieticians, nutritionists, fitness coaches, personal trainers and so on), health enthusiasts, and the public. The problem: With the ever increasing trend of blogging for profit, self-proclaimed wellness experts and brand endorsements, it has become difficult to get access to authentic and trust worthy health information online. More so, because the informal health and fitness industry (personal trainers, fitness coach, food therapist and so on) is not regulated, there are many self-acclaimed wellness and fitness professionals who ‘claim’ to be experts and mislead the uninformed public with false information regarding health and wellness with a guise of selling their supplements and other health products. According to a survey I conducted last year, most people still rely on blogs and the internet for health information and advice rather than a health professional and this is not recommended and can be misleading especially because of pseudo-science and paid product advertising which many will not disclose. The solution: A health and wellness community everyone can trust for authentic, scientific, researched -based, and policy driven health information, advisory and services. It is a hub where health professionals, health enthusiasts and the public can interact, share knowledge, ask questions and provide services. To achieve this, the hub would keep a voluntary register of health and medical professionals from the formal and informal sector and they will go through a verification process to validate their identity and qualification. In addition, they will have a community rating based on their service delivery, for those who provide services, relevance of their answers to questions on the forum, and their contribution of knowledge to the growth of the community. One of the many benefits of the hub to non-health professionals is the access to a network of validated medical, health and fitness professionals who provide various advisory and personalized services that are trustworthy and meet required standards. Members in search of a professional service can use the hub and streamline their search by proximity of provider, type of service required, and experience of the provider and so on. Members of the community can also ask their health related questions while they get answers from experts in the health industry. I am the right person to solve this problem because I am a public health nutritionist who deeply cares to see people achieve optimum health. I have the qualification, the emotional intelligence to manage such a community and the motivation to make a difference. Everyday people are misled by incorrect and false information about their health on the internet. I want to do something about it and this Wellness Online Community will disrupt the unacceptable status quo
My name is Ebenezer Anifowose. I am a public health nutritionist and the founder and creative lead at Healthucate Nigeria, a social enterprise on a mission to improve lives, reduce the burden of disease, and help people achieve optimum physical and mental wellbeing. I hold a M.Sc. in Nutrition with Public Health Management from Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom after completing a degree in Anatomy from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso in Nigeria. I am a registered member of the Nutrition Society and the Royal Society of Public Health both in the United Kingdom and have over 6 years professional experience that spans the healthcare, project management, business development and advertising industries. Aside promoting Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals- Good Health for All, I am passionate about helping people - especially young people discover their true purpose in life and develop capacity to pursue and achieve their dreams. I love nature, music and all forms of art.