Introduction. Number of activities related to the prevention of gynecological diseases, including cancer, as well as their treatment, are an important aspect of women’s health. Aim. Evaluation of women’s health in the opinion of female residents of the Tarnów District, with reference to socio-demographic factors. Material and methods. The group consisted of 360 adult females, randomly selected to participate in the study. The method was a standardized questionnaire – List of Health Criteria. The material was analysed using STATISTICA 9.0, applied tests for independence: Pearson’s chi-square and Kruskal- -Wallis as well as correlation testing. Results. According to the subjects, being healthy mainly means “to live to a ripe old age”, “to keep a healthy diet”, “to have no physical health problems”, “to be able to work without tension and stress”, and “to accept oneself, knowing one’s limitations and shortcomings”. The subjects’ age and place of residence are related to adequate understanding of cancer risk factors in women, i.e. “smoking” and “frequent change of sexual partners”. Education affects the perception of such risk factors as “smoking”, “contraception”, “early sexual initiation”, “first-time pregnancy at an older age”, and “frequent change of sexual partners”. Conclusions. Evaluation of gynaecological health depends on selected demographic features. The survey participants assign the greatest weight to health understood as an objective, and a result as well as characteristics, which can translate into preferred health promoting behaviours.

Key words: value of health, women, socio-demographic characteristics.