Knowledge of rules of healthy lifestyle and their realization among students of junior and senior high schools.

The aim of the paper was to evaluate the knowledge of rules of healthy nourishment as well as the recommended components of a daily diet among students of junior and senior high schools. The lifestyle of the teenagers was analyzed in two groups--junior high school students and senior high school students. On the basis of the BMI the state of nutrition of the population was evaluated. The subjects were questioned about the most frequent health problems, and the connection between body weight and the development of diseases in the future. The research was carried out by means of an anonymous survey among 200 students of junior high schools and 200 students of senior high schools. The data underwent statistical analysis. The knowledge of healthy eating habits proved insufficient and their realization poor, especially among junior high school students. The factors that influence the lifestyle of the teenagers included the family and the media. In girls the lack of acceptance of their own appearance was recorded, which resulted in the desire to lower body weight and to apply slimming diets.