Habits shaped by the living environment, and in particular by microenvironment, are among many elements of the lifestyle. Relationships between the human behaviour and health condition have been a subject of numerous surveys whose results were used to direct health care activities towards prevention, prophylaxis and health care.

The starting point for implementing preventive measures and health promotion is a good knowledge of health-related behaviours of people, of the nature of demand for information on health issues, and the assessment of the quality of health services provided within a specific scope.

The aim of the study was to analyse women’s knowledge of and attitudes to the issue of the health of reproductive organs, with particular stress on cytological examinations. The survey covered 158 women, aged 18–79. A questionnaire designed specially for that survey 7was applied.

The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first included demographic and social information, i.e. date of birth, education, profession, place of work, marital status, place of living, number of family members and relationships, material situation and housing conditions. The second part dealt with health-related information and concerned systematic attendance at preventive examinations of reproductive organs, menstrual cycle disturbances, cytological examinations of the uterine cervix and circumstances in which they are performed, sources of knowledge of the aforementioned issues.

The survey was conducted in August and September 2000 in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The collected data were subject to statistical analysis which concerned the conditions of women’s knowledge of and attitudes to their health.