Feminist theory could be used to treat anorexia, a new study has suggested.

Academics at the University of East Anglia say that patients found discussion of societal oppression helpful in helping them cope with their condition.

The 10-week programme, which was carried out with seven patients at a treatment centre in Norwich, used TV adverts, Disney films, news articles and social media to spark debate about anorexia and women's bodies.

Topics for dicussion included "gendered constructions of appetite", "cultural expectations surrounding female emotion and anger" and "cultural prescriptions of femininity".

The paper, published in the journal Eating Disorders, said patients found the approach useful because it made them feel less like they were to blame for their condition.

It concludes that the research "offers some support for the idea that focusing on broader gendered discourses – such as those relating to appetite for example – might be productive for participants in thinking about how often unquestioned (and potentially more ‘invisible’) gender inequities may shape the aetiology and maintenance of an ED [eating disorder]."

Researchers said that feminist approaches to treating eating disorders examine how "cultural constructions of femininity" could lead to "body distress", for example in examining how women are "called upon to exert greater regulation of ‘appetite’, both in relation to food intake and sexual desire".