Aim of the study:
To evaluate health-promoting behaviors in patients with schizophrenia and to assess the significance of differences in the studied variables between women and men diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Subject or material and methods:
The study included 70 patients receiving care at a mental health clinic, of whom 54.29% were women. The following psychometric tools were used: the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI), and an original demographic data questionnaire. The study received a positive opinion from the Bioethics Committee of the Medical University of Silesia.

Results:
Statistically significant negative correlations were found between the overall health behavior score (HBS) and in subscores, such as positive mental attitude and the severity of depressive symptoms (HADS-D). Additionally, the positive mental attitude subscale correlated negatively with both anxiety and depressive symptoms. No significant differences were found between women and men in our study.

Discussion:
Schizophrenia, which belongs to the group of psychotic disorders, significantly reduces the quality of life of patients. Difficulties in this illness cover many areas – from self-perception and acceptance of the disease to professional and social activity, including health-promoting behaviors, important for mental and physical hygiene.

Conclusions:
Among patients with schizophrenia, a higher level of pro-health behaviors is associated with a lower severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. These results emphasize the importance of promoting a pro-health lifestyle in this group of patients. Further research is needed to allow for an in-depth analysis of the relationships obtained and to verify the conclusions.