Data Science Building External Facade Up.jpg

Dr Michaela James

Research Officer

Health Data Science

m.l.james@swansea.ac.uk

Open Plan Office - 207
Second Floor
Data Science Building
Singleton Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7047-0049

ResearchGate

About

Dr Michaela James is a research officer for the National Centre of Population Health and ADR UK. Her main research areas include the health and wellbeing of young people, in particular play and physical activity. She manages HAPPEN-Wales, a national network aimed at improving the health, wellbeing and education outcomes of primary school children across Wales. Her research involves advocating for the wants and needs of young people in their local communities to improve health and wellbeing. Her work is primarily co-produced with young people to help give them a voice on matters that affect them.

Areas Of Expertise

Wellbeing
Physical Activity
Play
Qualitative Analysis
Surveys
Co-production

Career Highlights

Research

Dr Michaela manages various projects across the CPH and ADR UK including RPlace, HAPPEN, the Centre’s internship program and has established CORDs (Co-production of Research Direction and Strategy) within the Centre.

Award Highlights Collaborations

Publications

Research Highlights

James, M., Christian, D., Scott, S., Todd, C., Stratton, G., McCoubrey, S., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, E., Brophy, S., & Ellins, L. (2017). Active children through individual vouchers – evaluation (ACTIVE): protocol for a mixed method randomised control trial to increase physical activity levels in teenagers. BMC Public Health, 18(1)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4554-7, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa34629
James, M., Todd, C., Scott, S., Stratton, G., McCoubrey, S., Christian, D., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, E., Anderson, S., Copp, I., Brophy, S., & Ellins, L. (2018). Teenage recommendations to improve physical activity for their age group: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 18(1)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5274-3, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43768
James, M., Christian, D., Scott, S., Todd, C., Stratton, G., Demmler, J., McCoubrey, S., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, L., & Brophy, S. (2020). Active Children Through Individual Vouchers Evaluation: A Mixed-Method RCT. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 58(2), 232-243.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.10.005, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52367
James, M., Christian, D., Scott, S., Todd, C., Stratton, G., Demmler, J., McCoubrey, S., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, L., & Brophy, S. (2019). Predictors of cardiovascular health in teenagers (aged 13–14 years): a cross-sectional study linked with routine data. Open Heart, 6(2), e001147
https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2019-001147, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52438
Fry, R., James, M., Fry, R., Mannello, M., Anderson, W., & Brophy, S. (2020). How does the built environment affect teenagers (aged 13–14) physical activity and fitness? A cross-sectional analysis of the ACTIVE Project. PLOS ONE, 15(8), e0237784
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237784, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55132
Marchant, E., Todd, C., James, M., Crick, T., Dwyer, R., & Brophy, S. (2021). Primary school staff perspectives of school closures due to COVID-19, experiences of schools reopening and recommendations for the future: A qualitative survey in Wales. PLOS ONE, 16(12), e0260396
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260396, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56635
James, M., Marchant, E., Defeyter, M., Woodside, J., & Brophy, S. (2021). Impact of school closures on the health and well-being of primary school children in Wales UK: a routine data linkage study using the HAPPEN Survey (2018–2020). BMJ Open, 11(10), e051574
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051574, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58392
James, M., Jones, H., Baig, A., Marchant, E., Waites, T., Todd, C., Hughes, K., & Brophy, S. (2021). Factors influencing wellbeing in young people during COVID-19: A survey with 6291 young people in Wales. PLOS ONE, 16(12), e0260640
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260640, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59046
Marchant, E., Griffiths, L., Crick, T., Fry, R., Hollinghurst, J., James, M., Cowley, L., Abbasizanjani, H., Torabi, F., Thompson, D., Kennedy, J., Akbari, A., Gravenor, M., Lyons, R., & Brophy, S. (2022). COVID-19 mitigation measures in primary schools and association with infection and school staff wellbeing: An observational survey linked with routine data in Wales, UK. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0264023
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264023, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59502
Richards, A., Mackintosh, K., Swindell, N., Ward, M., Marchant, E., James, M., Edwards, L., Tyler, R., Blain, D., Wainwright, N., Nicholls, S., Mannello, M., Morgan, K., Evans, T., & Stratton, G. (2022). WALES 2021 Active Healthy Kids (AHK) Report Card: The Fourth Pandemic of Childhood Inactivity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 8138
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138138, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60370
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138138
Marchant, E., Lowthian, E., Crick, T., Griffiths, L., Fry, R., Dadaczynski, K., Okan, O., James, M., Cowley, L., Torabi, F., Kennedy, J., Akbari, A., Lyons, R., & Brophy, S. (2022). Pre-COVID-19 pandemic health-related behaviours in children (2018–2020) and association with being tested for SARS-CoV-2 and testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (2020–2021): a retrospective cohort study using survey data linked with routine health data in Wales, UK. BMJ Open, 12(9), e061344
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061344, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60846
James, M., Rasheed, M., Bandyopadhyay, A., Mannello, M., Marchant, E., & Brophy, S. (2022). The Effect COVID Has Had on the Wants and Needs of Children in Terms of Play: Text Mining the Qualitative Response of the Happen Primary School Survey with 20,000 Children in Wales, UK between 2016 and 2021. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12687
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912687, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61653
Jones, H., Seaborne, M., Mhereeg, M., James, M., Kennedy, T., Bandyopadhyay, A., & Brophy, S. (2023). Breastfeeding initiation and duration through the COVID-19 pandemic, a linked population-level routine data study: the Born in Wales Cohort 2018–2021. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 7(1), e001907
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2023-001907, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63897
Jones, H., Seaborne, M., Kennedy, N., James, M., Dredge, S., Bandyopadhyay, A., Battaglia, A., Davies, S., & Brophy, S. (2024). Cohort profile: Born in Wales—a birth cohort with maternity, parental and child data linkage for life course research in Wales, UK. BMJ Open, 14(1), e076711
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076711, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66545
AVERY, F., Kennedy, T., James, M., Jones, H., Amos, R., Bellis, M., Hughes, K., & Brophy, S. (2024). A systematic review of non-clinician trauma-based interventions for school-age youth. PLOS ONE, 19(9), e0293248
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293248, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67473
LOCKE, A., Jones, H., James, M., Marchant, E., Kennedy, J., Burdett, D., Bandyopadhyay, A., Stratton, G., & Brophy, S. (2024). Cohort profile: Health and Attainment of Pupils in a Primary Education National Cohort (HAPPEN) – a hybrid total population cohort in Wales, UK. BMJ Open, 14(12), e088721
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088721, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68351
Marchant, E., Lowthian, E., James, M., Davies, N., & Crick, T. (2025). Examining the health literacy and health behaviours of children aged 8–11 in Wales, UK. Health Promotion International, 40(2), daaf026
https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf026, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68934

All Research

Journal Articles

Marchant, E., Lowthian, E., James, M., Davies, N., & Crick, T. (2025). Examining the health literacy and health behaviours of children aged 8–11 in Wales, UK. Health Promotion International, 40(2), daaf026
https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf026, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68934
LOCKE, A., Jones, H., James, M., Marchant, E., Kennedy, J., Burdett, D., Bandyopadhyay, A., Stratton, G., & Brophy, S. (2024). Cohort profile: Health and Attainment of Pupils in a Primary Education National Cohort (HAPPEN) – a hybrid total population cohort in Wales, UK. BMJ Open, 14(12), e088721
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088721, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68351
AVERY, F., Kennedy, T., James, M., Jones, H., Amos, R., Bellis, M., Hughes, K., & Brophy, S. (2024). A systematic review of non-clinician trauma-based interventions for school-age youth. PLOS ONE, 19(9), e0293248
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293248, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67473
Jones, H., Seaborne, M., Kennedy, N., James, M., Dredge, S., Bandyopadhyay, A., Battaglia, A., Davies, S., & Brophy, S. (2024). Cohort profile: Born in Wales—a birth cohort with maternity, parental and child data linkage for life course research in Wales, UK. BMJ Open, 14(1), e076711
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076711, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66545
Jones, H., Seaborne, M., Mhereeg, M., James, M., Kennedy, T., Bandyopadhyay, A., & Brophy, S. (2023). Breastfeeding initiation and duration through the COVID-19 pandemic, a linked population-level routine data study: the Born in Wales Cohort 2018–2021. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 7(1), e001907
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2023-001907, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63897
James, M., Rasheed, M., Bandyopadhyay, A., Mannello, M., Marchant, E., & Brophy, S. (2022). The Effect COVID Has Had on the Wants and Needs of Children in Terms of Play: Text Mining the Qualitative Response of the Happen Primary School Survey with 20,000 Children in Wales, UK between 2016 and 2021. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12687
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912687, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61653
Marchant, E., Lowthian, E., Crick, T., Griffiths, L., Fry, R., Dadaczynski, K., Okan, O., James, M., Cowley, L., Torabi, F., Kennedy, J., Akbari, A., Lyons, R., & Brophy, S. (2022). Pre-COVID-19 pandemic health-related behaviours in children (2018–2020) and association with being tested for SARS-CoV-2 and testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (2020–2021): a retrospective cohort study using survey data linked with routine health data in Wales, UK. BMJ Open, 12(9), e061344
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061344, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60846
Richards, A., Mackintosh, K., Swindell, N., Ward, M., Marchant, E., James, M., Edwards, L., Tyler, R., Blain, D., Wainwright, N., Nicholls, S., Mannello, M., Morgan, K., Evans, T., & Stratton, G. (2022). WALES 2021 Active Healthy Kids (AHK) Report Card: The Fourth Pandemic of Childhood Inactivity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 8138
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138138, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60370
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138138
Marchant, E., Griffiths, L., Crick, T., Fry, R., Hollinghurst, J., James, M., Cowley, L., Abbasizanjani, H., Torabi, F., Thompson, D., Kennedy, J., Akbari, A., Gravenor, M., Lyons, R., & Brophy, S. (2022). COVID-19 mitigation measures in primary schools and association with infection and school staff wellbeing: An observational survey linked with routine data in Wales, UK. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0264023
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264023, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59502
James, M., Jones, H., Baig, A., Marchant, E., Waites, T., Todd, C., Hughes, K., & Brophy, S. (2021). Factors influencing wellbeing in young people during COVID-19: A survey with 6291 young people in Wales. PLOS ONE, 16(12), e0260640
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260640, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59046
Marchant, E., Todd, C., James, M., Crick, T., Dwyer, R., & Brophy, S. (2021). Primary school staff perspectives of school closures due to COVID-19, experiences of schools reopening and recommendations for the future: A qualitative survey in Wales. PLOS ONE, 16(12), e0260396
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260396, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56635
James, M., Marchant, E., Defeyter, M., Woodside, J., & Brophy, S. (2021). Impact of school closures on the health and well-being of primary school children in Wales UK: a routine data linkage study using the HAPPEN Survey (2018–2020). BMJ Open, 11(10), e051574
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051574, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58392
Fry, R., James, M., Fry, R., Mannello, M., Anderson, W., & Brophy, S. (2020). How does the built environment affect teenagers (aged 13–14) physical activity and fitness? A cross-sectional analysis of the ACTIVE Project. PLOS ONE, 15(8), e0237784
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237784, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55132
James, M., Christian, D., Scott, S., Todd, C., Stratton, G., Demmler, J., McCoubrey, S., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, L., & Brophy, S. (2020). Active Children Through Individual Vouchers Evaluation: A Mixed-Method RCT. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 58(2), 232-243.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.10.005, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52367
James, M., Christian, D., Scott, S., Todd, C., Stratton, G., Demmler, J., McCoubrey, S., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, L., & Brophy, S. (2019). Predictors of cardiovascular health in teenagers (aged 13–14 years): a cross-sectional study linked with routine data. Open Heart, 6(2), e001147
https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2019-001147, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52438
James, M., Todd, C., Scott, S., Stratton, G., McCoubrey, S., Christian, D., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, E., Anderson, S., Copp, I., Brophy, S., & Ellins, L. (2018). Teenage recommendations to improve physical activity for their age group: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 18(1)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5274-3, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43768
James, M., Christian, D., Scott, S., Todd, C., Stratton, G., McCoubrey, S., Halcox, J., Audrey, S., Ellins, E., Brophy, S., & Ellins, L. (2017). Active children through individual vouchers – evaluation (ACTIVE): protocol for a mixed method randomised control trial to increase physical activity levels in teenagers. BMC Public Health, 18(1)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4554-7, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa34629

Supervision

Development of the Born in Wales birth cohort for parental and child health and wellbeing (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Michael Gravenor
Working title: Evaluation of Universal Free School Meals in Primary Schools in Wales. (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Sinead Brophy

Career History

Researcher, Swansea University Medical School

October 2016 - Present

Public Engagements

Public engagement plays an important role in my research. ACTIVE was co-produced by teenagers from its inception to its delivery. Advocating for and empowering young people is central to the work I am doing at Swansea University.