Measurement of Head Circumference Using a Smartphone: Feasibility Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Medical Technology
• Infant Health

Background:

• Accurate head circumference (HC) measurement is critical for monitoring infant development.
• Traditional tape measure HC assessments are susceptible to errors from various factors.
• A more reliable method for HC measurement is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity, reliability, and consistency of a novel HC app.
• To compare HC app measurements against standard tape measure methods.
• To serve as a proof-of-concept for healthcare professional use.

Main Methods:

• Infants attending a neurosurgery clinic were recruited.
• Head circumference measurements were taken using both a tape measure and an in-house developed HC app.
• Statistical analysis included intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), F test, Bland-Altman agreement, and t-tests.

Main Results:

• The HC app demonstrated poor reliability when compared to tape measurements (ICC=0.177) and showed wide within-app variations (ICC=0.341).
• Good agreement was observed between parent/guardian tape measurements and researcher tape measurements (ICC=0.901).
• Parental feedback was highly positive, with 84% finding the app easy to use and expressing willingness for unsupervised use.

Conclusions:

• The developed HC app shows promise as a proof-of-concept for both clinical and home-based infant head circumference monitoring.
• Further refinement may be needed to improve measurement accuracy and reliability.
• Parental acceptance suggests potential for widespread adoption if accuracy is established.