Abstract: purpose: to examine sociologically self-preserving behavior; to reveal and analyze the factors that determine the formation of self-preserving behavior of student youth in the middle city; to consider the most important indicator of the development of self-preserving behavior – the behavior of young people in everyday life and during periods of illness. In this work, the author identified the main structural elements of self-preservation behavior of students, in particular, motives, attitudes and actions aimed at positive self-preservation behavior.
Methods: theoretical – analysis, forecasting and empirical – sociological survey (questionnaire).
Results: As a result of a sociological study, data were obtained that make it possible to assert that students are a specific socio-demographic group. This cohort is characterized by a certain inconsistency, for example, orientation to a healthy lifestyle, a high life expectancy and at the same time, reluctance to abandon bad habits or drinking alcohol in combination with regular sports.
Conclusions: The problematic situation is the inconsistency between the spread of norms of self-preservation behavior among students and the lack of systemic knowledge about the principles of formation of socially desirable norms.
Keywords: self-preserving behavior; health; social environment; values; needs; student youth