M Barker MRC MR/N011848/1

Staff

Lead researchers

Professor Mary Barker PhD, C Psychol

Prof of Psychology & Behavioural Science

Research interests

Mary Barker is Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Science. She has a joint appointment in both the Faculty of Medicine and the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton UK. Mary runs a programme of work in both the UK and in low-income countries aiming to engage young people in improving their sense of agency, well-being and mental health, to benefit their health in general but their diets and physical activity habits more specifically. Her team’s approach is participatory and combines social activism focused on engaging young people in the climate change and health agenda and testing methods of one-to-one support and digital resources including smartphone games. Much of this work takes place as part of her NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research EACH-B (Engaging Adolescents in Changing Behaviour). She partners in this activity with the TALENT network of colleagues with interests in adolescent health and well-being based in institutions in low-and-middle-income countries. Her team also ran a five-country, longitudinal qualitative study with young people throughout the pandemic exploring their experience, mental health, well-being and resilience, data from which supported UK local and national government COVID messaging to young people. She is adjunct professor at the University of Agder, Norway, and has honorary appointments at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and University College London.

Connect with Mary

Email: meb@mrc.soton.ac.uk

Other researchers

Dr Leanne Morrison

Associate Professor

Research interests

Health Psychology
Person-based intervention development
Digital technology

Connect with Leanne

Email: L.Morrison@soton.ac.uk

Research outputs

Women’s preconception health in England: a report card based on cross-sectional analysis of national maternity services data 2018/19

Danielle Schoenaker, Judith Stephenson, Helen Smith, Kate Thurland, Helen Duncan, Keith Godfrey, Mary Barker, Claire Singh & Nisreen Alwan, 2023, BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 130(10), 1187-1195

DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.17436

Type: article

Men's motivations, barriers to and aspirations for their families' health in the first 1000 days in sub-Saharan Africa

Daniella Watson, Samuel T. Chatio, Mary Barker, Palwende Romuald Boua, Adélaïde Compaoré, Maxwell Dalaba, Agnes Erzse, Keith Godfrey, Karen Hofman, Sarah Kehoe, Nuala Mcgrath, Gudani Mukoma, Engelbert A. Nonterah, Shane A. Norris, Hermann Sorgho, Kate A. Ward & Polly Hardy-Johnson, 2023, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 6(1), 39-45

DOI: 10.1136/bmjnph-2022-000423

Type: article

Engaging community members in setting priorities for nutrition interventions in rural northern Ghana

Maxwell Ayindenaba Dalaba, Engelbert A. Nonterah, Samuel T. Chatio, James K. Adoctor, Edith Dambayi, Esmond W. Nonterah, Stephen Azalia, Doreen Ayi-Bisah, Agnes Erzse, Daniella Watson, Polly Hardy-Johnson, Sarah H. Kehoe, Aviva Tugendhaft, Kate Ward, Cornelius Debpuur, Abraham Oduro, Winfred Ofosu, Marion Danis & Mary Barker, 2022, PLOS Global Public Health, 2(9)

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000447

Type: article

How do we harness adolescent values in designing health behaviour change interventions? A qualitative study

Sofia Strommer, Sarah Shaw, Sarah Jenner, Christina Vogel, Wendy Lawrence, Kathryn Woods-Townsend, David Farrell, Hazel Inskip, Janis Baird, Leanne Morrison & Mary Barker, 2021, British Journal of Health Psychology, 26(4), 1176-1193

DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12526

Type: article

Exploring the diet and physical activity behaviours of adolescents living in India and sub-Saharan Africa

Polly Hardy-Johnson, Preeti Dhuria, Sofia Strommer, Susie Weller, Mary Barker & Caroline Fall, 2021, Public Health Nutrition, 24, 5288–5298

DOI: 10.1017/S1368980021002408

Type: article

Characterising and monitoring preconception health in England: a review of national population-level indicators and core data sources

Danielle Schoenaker, Judith Stephenson, Anne Connolly, Sally Shillaker, Sarah Fishburn, Mary Barker, Keith Godfrey & Nisreen Alwan, 2021, Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

DOI: 10.1017/S2040174421000258

Type: article

Meeting the UK Government’s prevention agenda: primary care practitioners can be trained in skills to prevent disease and support self-management

Wendy Lawrence, Daniella Watson, Hannah Barker, Christina Vogel, Em Rahman & Mary Barker, 2021, Perspectives in Public Health

DOI: 10.1177/1757913920977030

Type: review