CHICAGO - When young US families gather for dinner, half the time is spent preoccupied with electronic devices, toys and tasks that take them physically or mentally away from the table, a study posted on the website of the University of Illinois on Monday shows.

The study examined 109 families' dinnertime routines and the effects that fathers' presence and various types of distractions had on mothers' interactions with their preschool children.

The distractions included technology-related ones, such as adjusting appliance settings or using TVs and other electronic devices; playing with pets, toys or other objects; food-related distractions; and leaving the table for any reason, such as to go to the bathroom or to work.

The researchers found that families' mealtimes lasted about 17 minutes on average. Mothers and fathers spent about the same amount of time, 10 percent and about 9 percent, respectively, occupied with food-related distractions, such as retrieving dishes or utensils needed for the meal.

Young children, aged 18-24 months at the time of the study, spent about 4 percent of their time playing with toys and other objects, and nearly as much time, about 3 percent, watching TV or distracted by other technology during the meal.

Fathers were not present at 35 families' meals. If their fathers were absent, young children spent significantly more time playing with objects than did children whose fathers were present, the researchers found.

Accordingly, mothers spent significantly more time occupied with food-related distractions and were less attentive to the child's eating when fathers were not present at the meal.

Though fathers were significantly more likely than mothers to use technology during the meal or to leave the table, fathers' presence at meals may have a positive impact: reducing the amount of time that young children are distracted and increasing mothers' responsiveness to children's eating behaviors, the researchers found.

"Our findings suggest that fathers play an important role in interacting with and engaging children at the table," said lead author Jaclyn Saltzman, who completed the research while earning a doctorate in family studies at the university. "When dads are present for meals, young children spend significantly less time playing with toys and other objects. Likewise, moms spend more time engaging in responsive eating behaviors, such as encouraging preschoolers to eat healthy foods and allowing them to decide whether and how much to eat."

The study also found that young children may be more prone to fussy eating and other negative behaviors when there are more distractions at meals. "Parents can consider removing toys, pets and other distractions so that young children are focused on the meal and parents have more opportunities to encourage healthy eating habits," said Saltzman.

The study was published recently in the Journal of Family Psychology.

Xinhua