Measurement
Fitness creator measurement in England: defining health metrics from the CMO activity guideline
Define health metrics for fitness creators in England from the UK Chief Medical Officers' activity guideline, with metric contracts, ICO data rules and attribution.
A fitness creator can report views, enquiries and sales every week, but none of those numbers shows a health effect. A health metric needs a public reference point and a written definition before any data is collected. The UK Chief Medical Officers' guideline supplies the reference for adult activity.
What to take away
- The guideline reference for adults is at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, or a combination.
- Muscle strengthening is on at least 2 days a week.
- A health metric needs a population, numerator, denominator, period and source written down before collection.
- Data from fitness trackers can be health data, so collect no more of it than the purpose needs.
- Attribution models assign credit under their own rules and do not show incremental revenue.
Start with the decision
Write the decision first: continue a format, investigate an audience drop, reconcile a sponsor report or commission a health evaluation. Then state what evidence would change that decision. A view count answers an audience question; it never answers a health question.
Read measurement for fitness creators for the common errors. The return on investment of creator work should not count a health effect without a proper evaluation.
Turn the guideline into metrics
The UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guideline says each week adults should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, or a combination. Muscle strengthening is named on at least 2 days a week.
Each target becomes one metric with its own contract. The entries below are illustrative definitions for a survey of programme participants, not benchmarks.
| Metric | Numerator | Denominator | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reached the weekly activity target | Respondents reporting at least 150 moderate or 75 vigorous minutes | All survey respondents | Last 7 days |
| Strength days | Respondents reporting strengthening on 2 or more days | All survey respondents | Last 7 days |
| Programme completion | Participants who finished the final session | Participants who started | Programme length |
Write the metric contract
A metric contract is a short written definition that travels with every reported figure. Record the population, numerator, denominator, unit, period, time zone, inclusions, exclusions, source and owner. It stops two analysts reading the same chart differently.
Pre-specify the group, the survey question and the comparison before the programme starts. A testimonial is not evidence of change, and a before-and-after count without a comparison group cannot separate the programme from other influences.
Collect health data lawfully
Health data can include data from fitness trackers, so treat tracker exports as special category data. Under the data minimisation principle, personal data must be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.
Collect aggregate counts where they answer the question. Keep named records out of dashboards, and read the data protection guide before you ask followers for any health information.
Declare the attribution rule
Attribution models assign credit under their own rules and do not show incremental revenue. State the model, the lookback window, the key-event definition and the extraction date beside every commercial figure. A comparison or holdback group is the only route to an incremental claim.
The attribution methods guide compares the options.
Keep the record checkable
Keep a source ledger beside any creator dashboard that records where each figure was extracted and when. Check each report with the quality checklist before release, and review the measurement system when a platform changes how it counts.
Before you act
- Write the decision each report must support.
- Complete a metric contract for each reported figure.
- Define each health metric against the 150-minute, 75-minute and 2-day references before collecting data.
- Declare the attribution model, lookback window and extraction date.
- Remove tracker or health data that the purpose does not need.
Common questions
What is the adult activity reference?
At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, or a combination, plus muscle strengthening on at least 2 days a week.
What must a metric contract include?
Population, numerator, denominator, unit, period, time zone, inclusions, exclusions, source and owner. Without them two analysts can report different values for the same metric.
In this guide
- Four fitness creator metrics, each with its denominator and its limitsDefine fitness creator metrics by evidence lane, with complete denominators, data sources, uncertainty, owners and clear health-outcome limits.
- A fitness creator dashboard with delivery, audience, commercial and health panels kept apartBuild a fitness creator dashboard that keeps delivery, audience, commercial and health evidence apart while exposing definitions and uncertainty.
- Four attribution methods for fitness creators and the limits of eachAn unranked desk comparison of tagged links, promo codes, platform credit and controlled evaluation, with criteria, limits and lawful tracking prerequisites.
- Three fitness creators measurement mistakes that overstate health evidenceThree fitness creators measurement mistakes overstate health evidence: testimonials as proof, before-and-after as cause, and health data kept for colour.
- Fitness creator benchmarks only mean something once you record what they compareResearch fitness creator benchmarks without false comparisons by recording geography, populations, definitions, methods, uncertainty and breaks.
