Benhur George, studying for the Master of Business Analytics at UWA, has helped Outdoors WA work towards a healthier WA through his McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship role as a Research Intern, Data Storyteller and Economic Modeller.
Through the 100-hour internship with the State’s peak body for outdoors activity, Benhur analysed data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Clearinghouse for Sport’s AusPlay survey, creating insights and visualisations for Outdoors WA on health indicators, chronic conditions and levels of physical activity in Australian cohorts.
“The project I worked on focussed on how being active outdoors impacts health and the health-based economy,” Benhur said.
“It led to some interesting insights, including how people gravitate more towards outdoor recreational activities over organised sport as they grow older, and how increasing physical activity is the most commonly used self-management strategy for mental health and well-being.
“The data looked at a number of comparisons on health indicators and levels of physical activity and inactivity in the population; how active we are in WA compared to national averages, and the links between physical inactivity and being overweight as a factor contributing to disease. I looked at outcomes in 2030 if trends continue, and the potential health and economic benefits of achieving physical activity targets,” he said.
“My work is currently being used by Outdoors WA to develop a report, to eventually raise awareness with government bodies, relevant sectors, and the public.”
Outdoors WA CEO, Neil Le Febvre, said that with Benhur’s contribution was invaluable in helping the organisation evidence the benefits of its impact through data.
“You can only argue the case for more investment at a state government level into enabling greater participation in outdoor recreation if you can back up your argument with data,” Mr Le Febvre said.
“Benhur was able build a compelling set of PowerBI reports that drew publicly available data from a broad set of sources, and was able to demonstrate how greater activity in the community has the potential to significantly improve health outcomes for everyone in WA.”
Benhur said he applied for the McCusker Centre internship for the opportunity to work with people committed to the wellbeing of the community, and to increase his awareness of social issues.
“The internship was an opportunity to work on something meaningful, contribute to the community and gain a lot of experience while doing so. The fact that the role aligned to the career I aim to pursue, and my project gave me a chance to utilise my expertise practically will definitely come in handy in my career.”