Introduction. As the sociologists of sport and the representatives of physical culture observe, the consumption of various forms of sport and leisure activities seems to be one of the most important contemporary social research areas in which the Bourdieu’s class theory can be applied. Aim. The aim of the study was to outline the sports and recreational activities of nurses and midwives in the context of Pierre Bourdieu's class theory. Material and methods. The study involved 127 professionally active nurses and midwives working in hospitals and outpatient clinics located in Wielkopolska province. The paper used the method of a diagnostic survey carried out using the tool, which was the author's questionnaire survey, assisted by an unstructured interview. Results. Respondents prefer cycling, Nordic walking, gymnastics and home gymnastics, running, swimming, aerobics, winter sports and slimming gymnastics. Physical fitness is often rudimentary for nurses and midwives. The aesthetic needs are another area, located among the significant values resulting from participation in sport and recreation activities. Conclusions. The obtained data on sports and leisure activities of nurses and midwives show that the forms of physical activity they choose may be discrete but important distinguishing features of their lifestyle or in the thinking of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu the socially distinctive features.

Key words: leisure, Pierre Bourdieu’s refinement theory, nurses, midwives.