Introduction. According to the World Health Organization, health is well-being achieved in three dimensions: physical, mental and social. In a report published in 1974, Marc Lalonde distinguished four groups of factors affecting the health of the population. These factors were the areas of biology and genetics, the environment, health care organization, and lifestyle. Today, it is estimated that lifestyle in more than 50% affects the health of the population. Aim of the study. The study aims to analyze selected health behaviors undertaken by academic youth from the Medical University of Lodz. Material and methods. The study covered 200 students of the Medical University of Lodz. The survey questionnaire used contained 19 questions. The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis. Results. Not less than a third of respondents (31%) have contact with the patient almost every day, e.g. during work placements or internships. At the same time, almost the same percentage of respondents (28%) indicate that they wash their hands before contacting the patient: sometimes or never. More than 80% of respondents declare that they engage in physical activity more often than once a week. Discussion. The percentage of students of the study sample declaring smoking (20%) is smaller or similar compared to students of medical circles asked about this issue, the situation is similar in the case of dissatisfaction with the length and quality of their sleep. In the case of hygienic hand washing, the percentage of students declaring that they perform this activity correctly is much smaller than in the compared original works. Conclusions. The percentage of people declaring appropriate health behaviors in the survey, such as proper hand hygiene, non-smoking cigarettes or sleep hygiene is unsatisfactory. It is reasonable to deepen prevention in the studied group of medical students.

Key words: health behaviors, students.