How does Fitwel determine the number of points for each strategy?

The point value for each Fitwel strategy is tabulated by assessing the connection between the specific intervention and each of the seven Health Impact Categories. This connection is assessed based on the strength of the evidence supporting the strategy as well as the magnitude of the impact described in the evidence-base. These factors are used to assign each strategy a quantitative score for evidence and impact.

The strength of the evidence is evaluated based on the relative rigor of the literature supporting the relationship between a strategy and each Health Impact Category. For example, a strategy that receives the highest rating for strength of evidence may have a recently-published, peer-reviewed meta analysis article directly evaluating the relationship between the strategy and a relevant health outcome. Meanwhile, the impact score represents the relative strength of the impact on the health impact categories as identified by the literature. For example, a strategy that receives a higher impact score may have academic literature supporting a statistically significant, moderately strong impact on one or more of the Health Impact Categories being assessed. 

Once a raw score is assigned based on the strength of evidence and impact for all strategies within a scorecard, they are weighted against each other, so that the total points achievable equals 144. Strategies that have been shown to have diverse health impacts are tied to multiple Health Impact Categories, and as a result, tend to have higher point values. Because research on a specific intervention (i.e., strategy) may be stronger or more impactful to different populations in certain settings, the point value assigned to a strategy may vary depending on the Fitwel scorecard where it is featured.

Finally, the point values per strategy are rounded to two decimal places in the Fitwel Platform for simplicity.