Marco Bardus

Dr Marco Bardus

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Assistant Professor in Public Health

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0) 7379 513450
Email: m.bardus@bham.ac.uk
Twitter

Address: Department of Applied Health Sciences
Murray Learning Centre
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Dr Marco Bardus' research in aims to understand how to effectively influence behaviours to prevent public health and environmental health issues.

His research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating public health interventions using a strategic framework. His research is placed at the intersection between social and behaviour change communication, risk communication, and behavioural science.

Dr Bardus designed interventions addressing physical activity, weight control, cancer screening, smoking cessation, family planning, COVID-19 prevention, as well as reducing, reusing, or recycling solid waste, in various countries with low resource settings.

He is particularly interested in leveraging the such as mobile apps, social media, and wearables to support health promotion and behaviour change, while considering the role of as a .

Qualifications

PhD in Communication Sciences, focus on Health Communication, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland, 2012
MA in Corporate Public Relations, University of Udine in Gorizia, Italy, 2007
BA in Public Relations, University of Udine in Gorizia, Italy, 2004

Biography

Marco is an Assistant Professor in Public Health at the Institute of Applied Health Research (as of June 2022). Before joining Birmingham, he worked as a Lecturer in Health, at Leeds Trinity University (November 2021-May 2022) and as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut (January 2016-2022).

While in Beirut, he expanded his research and teaching experience in social marketing and health communication addressing relevant public health and environmental health issues, working with governmental and non-governmental organisations at the national level.

Before moving to Lebanon, he was a research fellow at the University of Exeter Medical School, supported by an Early Postdoc mobility grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation. In Exeter he developed systematic reviews of the literature and of mobile apps for weight management.

Between 2008 and 2012, Marco gained significant experience as a researcher in Health communication and as a teaching assistant in Social Marketing, working towards his Ph.D. thesis under the supervision of Prof. L. Suzanne Suggs. His dissertation investigated the use of emails and SMS to promote physical activity in UK workplaces. As part of his thesis’ fieldwork, in 2011, he spent a semester at the University of Nottingham, supported by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Research

Topical areas: behaviour change to prevent chronic conditions, pro-environmental behaviours to improve planetary health.

Populations: children, young people, and families; working-age adults; older adults.

Settings: workplaces, community-based organisations, clinics, or homes, including informal tented settlements, refugee camps.

Cross-cutting themes: digital health promotion, eHealth literacy, health inequalities, social marketing strategic planning, implementation research.

Other activities

Member of the European Social Marketing Association (ESMA) and International Social Marketing Association (iSMA)– Since 2012; ESMA representative in Lebanon (2018-2021); iSMA representative in the Global Alliance for Social and Behaviour Change (since June 2022).
Editor of the section “Planning and evaluation tools and approaches” of the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Social Marketing, Springer Nature (since January 2020).

Publications

Highlight publications

Bardus, M, van Beurden, SB, Smith, JR & Abraham, C 2016, '', International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 13, no. 1, 35.

Bardus, M, Daccache, M, Maalouf, N, Al Sarih, R & Elhajj, I 2022, '', JMIR mHealth and uHealth, vol. 10, no. 7, e35195.

Bardus, M, El Rassi, R, Chahrour, M, Akl, EW, Raslan, AS, Meho, LI & Akl, EA 2020, '', Journal of Medical Internet Research, vol. 22, no. 7, e15607.

Benny, ME, Kabakian-Khasholian, T, El-Jardali, F & Bardus, M 2021, '', Journal of Medical Internet Research, vol. 23, no. 6, e23473.

Terhorst, Y, Philippi, P, Sander, LB, Schultchen, D, Paganini, S, Bardus, M, Santo, K, Knitza, J, Machado, GC, Schoeppe, S, Bauerei脽, N, Portenhauser, A, Domhardt, M, Walter, B, Krusche, M, Baumeister, H & Messner, EM 2020, '', PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 11 November, e0241480.

Recent publications

Article

Fares, E-J, Abou Mourad, M, Bardus, M, Zaki, S & Chamieh, MC 2025, '', PLOS One, vol. 20, no. 4, e0321884.

Bardus, M, Martin, J & Ward, D 2025, '', Education in Practice, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 84-94. <>

Simba And CoMICs, Elhariry, M, Malhotra, K, Goyal, K, Bardus, M & Kempegowda, P 2024, '', JMIR Medical Education, vol. 10, e52924.

Al Tawil, L, Massoud, MA, Bardus, M & Alameddine, I 2023, '', Waste Management and Research.

Kakati, R, Nakad Borrego, S, Zareef, R, Atallah, J, Farhat, S, Daye, N, Sadek, S & Bardus, M 2023, '', Inquiry : The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, vol. 60.

Semaan, J, Farah, C, Harb, RA, Bardus, M, Germani, A & Elhajj, I 2023, '', Digital Health , vol. 9, pp. 1-18.

Bardus, M, Assaf, SA & Sakr, CJ 2023, '', Vaccines, vol. 11, no. 2, 459.

El Yaman, N, Zeitoun, J, Diab, R, Mdaihly, M, Diab, R, Kobeissi, L, Aboul Joud, S, Antoun, J & Bardus, M 2023, '', BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, vol. 23, no. 1, 177.

Chaiban, L, Benyaich, A, Yaacoub, S, Rawi, H, Truppa, C & Bardus, M 2022, '', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 22, no. 1, 593.

Bardus, M, Keriabian, A, El-Bejjani, M & Hajj, S 2022, '', Digital Health , vol. 8, pp. 1-16.

Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

Bardus, M & Al Daccache, M 2022, . in C Fourali & J French (eds), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Social Marketing., Chapter 137-1, Springer, pp. 1-3.

Bardus, M 2022, . in C Fourali & J French (eds), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Social Marketing. Springer.

Review article

Ballavenuto, JMA, Tongtip, N, Fischer, NLS & Bardus, M 2025, '', Maturitas, vol. 193, pp. 108186.

Evans, WD, Bardus, M & French, J 2024, '', Businesses, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 196-210.

Bardus, M, Kabakian-Khasholian, T & Kanj, M 2024, '', Discover Health Systems, vol. 3, no. 1, 51.