As England prepares to face Argentina in tonight’s World Cup semi-final, we’re drawing attention to a very different league table – one where England is languishing at the bottom.
Harry’s HAT is the UK’s only charity dedicated exclusively to supporting children with hydrocephalus, a condition more commonly known as ‘water on the brain’. We’ve spent the past two weeks highlighting inequalities in child health monitoring around the world, by comparing England with other countries competing in the FIFA World Cup.
Branded ‘The Global Get-A-Head Tournament’, the campaign compares how often babies’ head circumference is routinely measured in their first year of life in countries across the world. Head circumference is a simple check used to monitor brain growth and development over time, and can help identify serious brain conditions, including hydrocephalus.
THE GLOBAL GET-A-HEAD TOURNAMENT
While England has impressed on the football pitch, our findings show it ranks 13th out of 13 countries surveyed, with babies receiving just two routine head circumference measurements during their first year.
We’ve created a series of World Cup-inspired graphics showing iconic landmarks from each country wrapped in giant tape measures, highlighting the stark differences in routine head circumference monitoring around the world.
Hydrocephalus affects around one in every 770 babies and is the most common reason for brain surgery in children. Early identification is critical, as delayed diagnosis can lead to avoidable brain injury and lifelong disability.
TIME TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD
Victoria Glover, Campaigns and Engagement Lead at Harry’s HAT, said: “We’ve loved bringing together the excitement of the World Cup with an issue that has the power to change children’s lives.
“Throughout our Global Get A-Head Tournament we’ve shown that some countries provide children with many more opportunities for routine head circumference measurement than we currently do in England.
“Tonight’s semi-final against Argentina is particularly striking. Babies born in Argentina will routinely have their head circumference measured nine times during their first year of life, compared with just two routine measurements in England.
“That’s not about winning or losing. It’s about recognising that where a child is born shouldn’t determine their chance of an early diagnosis.
“The good news is that we’ve seen real progress this year. Following campaigning by Harry’s HAT, Healthy Child Programme guidance updated in February now recognises the importance of explaining growth monitoring and head circumference measurement to parents. It’s an important step forward, but there is still more to do if we are to truly level the playing field for child brain health.”
Harry’s HAT’s vision is a world where late diagnosis of hydrocephalus becomes a thing of the past, helping to prevent avoidable lifelong disability and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.
The Global Get A-Head Tournament culminated on Global Get A-Head Day (10th July) with a call for greater awareness of head circumference measurements and their role in supporting the early identification of hydrocephalus.
