Additional information for teens and young people
How is HeadSmart relevant to young people?
Being ‘HeadSmart’ is about being aware of the symptoms of brain tumours. Each year in the UK around 80-100 young people aged 13 to 18 are diagnosed with a brain tumour – some of them are not diagnosed as quickly as they might be, and the HeadSmart campaign intends to improve this.
As children and young people grow up, they begin to take greater responsibility for their own health. Therefore it is an important part of the HeadSmart project to encourage young people to be aware of the symptoms of brain tumours and know what do if they are concerned about their own health.
For young people, the HeadSmart campaign aims to
- Improve awareness of the signs and symptoms of a brain tumour
- Encourage a visit to the GP if someone has these symptoms
- Give information on where to get further support and information
The HeadSmart campaign is also raising awareness among healthcare professionals of the symptoms of brain tumours and giving them guidance on when to reassure patients, when to ask the patient to come back after a short period of time and when to refer them for a brain scan.
Through the campaign and improved awareness among both the public and health professionals, we hope to reduce the time taken to diagnose children and young people with brain tumours.
Signs and symptoms of brain tumours in young people