Introduction. In the more and more rapid changes in the macro and micro- economic environment, the key part of companies activity is to be flexible and adjust strategies to the current conditions. The contemporary determinants of social life are: growing competition, development of science and connection between science and economical activities, implementation of technical and technological solutions and higher intensity of social life. In the world economy deeper structural changes, globalization and internalization processes influence the closer cooperation between partners in the market. These permanent changes have an impact on consumer reactions, behavior and decisions, because buyers have deeper and deeper knowledge about the market mechanisms and the products offered on this market. Aim. The aim of this article is to present changes in household spending on health protection in the years 2003-2012. Material and methods. The following publication consists of two parts. In the first, theoretical part the essence of consumption and the factors that effect its development were presented. The second part of this article includes the numerical data of the changes in households behavior in the area of health protection. The timeline which was analyzed, years 2003-2012 is a decade and it is a long enough period of time to present the situation honestly. The conclusions can be deduced in the area of households behavior at that time. Results. Between 2004 and 2012 the income of an individual person doubled, and the expenditures raised by almost 50 percent. In the years following this analysis the health expenditures raised by more than a half. In the group of pharmaceutical products, medical equipment and devices expenditures raised by more than 40 percent. A similar growth was seen in the group of medical items. The bigger growth, almost double, was marked in expenditures on medical services and alternative medicine. Remarkable changes were seen in the budget allocation in households in the area of relaxation and culture spending. The expenditures doubled. Also the financial means assigned to the personal hygiene were maximized significantly by 70 percent. In the analyzed period of time education expenditures raised by one fifth. The following changes in distribution of money in terms of home budgets can mean that the households pay more attention to economical aspects of life and taking care of health protection is more important. The expenditures on medical articles raised and it can be the result of greater awareness of the society in the aspect of health and quality of life. Conclusion. A growing percentage of spending on health protection in households may indicate certain tendencies improving the living standard of the Polish society.

Key words: needs, consumption, wealthy, determinants of consumption development, households spending on health protection.