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

What shapes adolescents' diet and physical activity habits in rural Konkan, India? Adolescents' and caregivers' perspectives

Ulka Banavali, Suvarna Patil, Rupali Chavan, Swati Sonawane, Charudatta V. Joglekar, Caroline Fall, Susan Weller, Sarah Kehoe, Mary Barker & Polly Hardy-Johnson, 2020, Public Health Nutrition

DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020001731

Type: article

Exploring the acceptability of controlled human infection with SARSCoV2 – a public consultation

Diane Gbesemete, Mary Barker, Wendy Lawrence, Daniella Watson, Hans De Graaf & Robert Read, 2020, BMC Medicine, 18(1), 1-8

DOI: 10.1186/s12916-020-01670-2

Type: article

Use of healthy conversation skills to promote healthy diets, physical activity and gestational weight gain: Results from a pilot randomised controlled trial

L.M. Adam, M. Jarman, M. Barker, D.P. Manca, W. Lawrence & R.C. Bell, 2020, Patient Education and Counseling, 103(6), 1134-1142

DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2020.01.001

Type: article

Preconception Nutrition: Building advocacy and social movements to stimulate action

Christina Vogel, Natasha Kriznik, Judith Stephenson & Mary Barker, 2020, Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

DOI: 10.1017/S2040174420000197

Type: article

Conflicts between adolescents and their caregivers living in slums of Mumbai, India in relation to junk food consumption and physical activity

Harsha Vipin Chopra, Meera Jayant Gandhi, Sirazul Ameen Sahariah, Susie Weller, Ramesh Dattatray Potdar, Mary Barker, Sarah Kehoe, Caroline Fall, Polly Hardy-Johnson, Kalyanaraman Kumaran & Kathryn Ward, 2020, Public Health Nutrition

DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020001640

Type: article