Introduction. Lack of health-oriented behaviours contribute to health disorders not only in youth but in adulthood as well. Numerous studies on nutrition and diets of various populations in Poland prove that the basic way of healthy eating, which is a balanced diet of energy and nutritious elements, is not observed. Aim. The aim of the project was to evaluate dietary habits and physical activity of undergraduates following diverse fields of study. Material and methods. With two hundred young people participating (51 male, 149 female), half were enrolled on the Physical Education degree course at the University of Physical Education (22 men and 78 women) and the rest were taking English and German Philology at Jagiellonian University. Results. Due to their educational profile, the vast majority of the University of Physical Education undergraduates were actively spending their leisure time. By contrast, only half of the philology students did physical activity as well as spending more time at computers. Furthermore, both groups made numerous dietary errors, including leaving home without breakfast, eating sweets and fast food products and consuming little amounts of fish, dairy and whole-grain bakery goods. Furthermore, alcohol intake was characterised by a clear predominance of 86.7% among young people from the University of Physical Education: a contradiction to the healthy lifestyle-oriented classes attended. Conclusions. It is therefore recommended that more health-promoting courses be offered at both universities in order for the students to become aware of the significance of health-oriented behaviours in health preservation and chronic non-infectious disease prevention.

Key words: students, physical activity, diet.