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

The benefits of peer transparency in safe workplace operation post pandemic lockdown

Arkady Wey, Alan Champneys, Rosemary J. Dyson, Nisreen Alwan & Mary Barker, 2021, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 18(174)

DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2020.0617

Type: article

Behaviour change interventions: getting in touch with individual differences, values and emotions

Sofia Strommer, Wendy Lawrence, Sarah Shaw, Sara Correia Simao, Sarah Jenner, Millie Barrett, Christina Vogel, Polly Hardy-Johnson, David Farrell, Kathryn Woods-Townsend, Janis Baird, Leanne Morrison, Deborah M. Sloboda, Hazel Inskip & Mary Barker, 2020, Journal of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 11(6), 589-598

DOI: 10.1017/S2040174420000604

Type: review

The impact of diet during adolescence on the neonatal health of offspring: evidence on the importance of preconception diet. The HUNT study

Wendy Van Lippevelde, Froydis N Vik, Andrew K. Wills, Sofia Strommer, Mary Barker, Marianne Skreden, Ann Anderson Berry, Corinne Hanson, Anne Lise Brantsæter, Elisabeth R Hillesund & Nina C Øverby, 2020, Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

DOI: 10.1017/S2040174420001087

Type: article

Addressing embodied inequities in health: how do we enable improvement in women's diet in pregnancy?

L. McKerracher, S. Oresnik, T. Moffat, B. Murray Davies, J. Vickers-Manzin, L. Zalot, D Williams, D.M. Sloboda & M.E. Barker, 2020, Public Health Nutrition, 23(16), 2994-3004

DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020001093

Type: article

How do we improve adolescent diet and physical activity in India and sub-Saharan Africa? Findings from the Transforming Adolescent Lives through Nutrition (TALENT) consortium

M.E. Barker, P. Hardy-Johnson, S. Weller, A. Haileamalak, L. Jarju, J. Jesson, G. V. Krishnaveni, K. Kumaran, V. Leroy, S.E. Moore, S.A. Norris, S. Patil, S.A. Sahariah, K. Ward, C.S. Yajnik & C.H.D Fall, 2020, Public Health Nutrition

DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020002244

Type: article

‘I should be disease free, healthy and be happy in whatever I do’: a cross-country analysis of drivers of adolescent diet and physical activity in different low- and middle-income contexts

Susie Weller, Polly Hardy-Johnson, Sofia Strommer, Caroline Fall, Ulka Banavali, Harsha Chopra, Ramatoulie E. Janha, Shama Joseph, Kejal Joshi Reddy, Mubarek Abera Mengistie, Stephanie V. Wrottesley, Egnon Kouakou & Mary Barker, 2020, Public Health Nutrition, 0, 1-11

DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020001810

Type: article

Adolescent diet and physical activity in the context of economic, social and nutrition transition in rural Maharashtra, India: a qualitative study

Kejal Joshi Reddy, Veena Kamble, Pooja Kunte, Polly Hardy-Johnson, Caroline Fall, Mary Barker, Susie Weller, Chittaranjan S. Yajnik & Sarah Kehoe, 2020, Public Health Nutrition

DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020002220

Type: article