Methodology · version 1 · updated 21 October 2026
How we rank what to focus on
The Where to focus check turns your answers into three areas to read first. Here is every assumption behind it, numbered, with its working and sources, so you can check it and challenge it. Each assumption has its own comments; we review them before they appear, and anything we change because of one is logged at the bottom.
The rule. For each area: priority = per-person weight × your gap. Your top three are the highest priorities from three different courses.
Worked example: someone who smokes (gap 1), has a waist above the cut-off (0.5), has never had their blood pressure checked (0.5) and is inactive (1) scores smoking 0.18, activity 0.063, weight 0.065 and blood pressure 0.035. Their top three: Cut the big risks, Eat, Move; Know your numbers comes next, with “get your blood pressure checked”.
A1What we count as "burden"
A2Why we rank per person, not by population totals
A3The weights and where they come from
A4Why activity and fitness get 0.063
A5Weights set by judgement
A6How each answer becomes a gap
A7"I don't know" counts as partly off target
A8Three different courses in your top three
A9What this is not
A10Known weaknesses
Change log
- 21 Oct 2026: First version.
General information, not medical advice. This ranks what to read first; it isn't a risk score, a diagnosis or a health age.