Introduction and objective:
The purpose of education is to impart knowledge on a specific scope of problems. The potential for practical application is also important in pro-health education. The aim of this study is to compare the eating habits, practices, and nutritional status of youth participating in pro-health education with those not receiving such an education.

Material and methods:
Consent to conduct the study was obtained from the Bioethics Committee (05/KB/VI/2017), the school principal, parents, and students. The study was conducted over three consecutive years, involving 63 students. The study, which included dietary assessment (based on menus and a lifestyle questionnaire) and anthropometric measurements, was conducted according to established methodologies.

Results:
In the educated group, improved eating habits translated into improved mode of nutrition, including an increase in the energy value of the diet and the cessation of weight-loss diets. In the uneducated group, the criterion for eating habits was a reduction in the energy value of the diet and application of a diet that eliminated fat and total carbohydrates. In the educated group, the effect of eating habits was weight gain corresponding to height, while in the uneducated group, a decrease in the percentage of adolescents with a healthy body weight was observed, in favour of those who were overweight and obese.

Conclusions:
Analysis of the obtained results revealed that not only does systematic health education for adolescents increase their knowledge of healthy eating, but also the sources of this knowledge influence dietary behaviours in different ways. Despite maintaining a healthy body weight during adolescence, even the educated group remains at high risk of accumulating visceral fat, especially with low levels of physical activity.