Women suffering from eating disorders will take part in a wilderness survival programme for a research project being conducted by John Moores University, Liverpool.
They will be helping to explore any links between outdoor activities such as hiking and rock climbing and recovery from anorexia and bulimia and other eating problems.
The project, called Adventurous Growth, is organised by outdoors education lecturer Kaye Richards, 26, who suffered from anorexia as a teenager.
"I had the chance to take part in some outdoor education and it made a huge difference to me, boosting my recovery," said Ms Richards. "It was a subtle change at first but enough to encourage me to go on. It's not just about exercise making you feel better but about gaining self-esteem and self-control - a lack of which can be part and parcel of eating disorders. There has been a fantastic response to my request for help.
"This is an experimental programme although there is some research already going on in the United States," she added.
Ms Richards said that the research will explore self-healing, the development of body acceptance, reflections on body image and development of relationships using outdoor adventure: "It will involve a group of women meeting over a period of time to get to know each other and build up trust."