Report: Black Men Very Involved with Their Children

The NorthStar News,

A larger percentage of black fathers help their children with their homework compared to white and Hispanic fathers, according a study released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Forty-one percent of black fathers helped their children with their homework everyday, compared to 29 percent of Hispanic fathers and 28 percent of white fathers, according to the study “Fathers’ Involvement with Their Children: United States, 2006-2010.” The study was published in December 2013 by the National Health Statistics Report.

The study involved 10,403 men, 15 to 44 years old, who either lived with their children or did not live with offspring.

Surveyors asked African-American, Hispanic and white men a number of questions, including how often they ate meals with their children, helped their children with their homework, played with their children, bathed and dressed their children, and read to their children.

According to the results, 78 percent of co-residential African-American fathers ate meals with their children compared to 74 percent of white fathers and 64 percent of Hispanic fathers.

The study also reported that 70 percent of co-residential African-American fathers bathed, dressed and diapered their children or helped them use the toilet every day, compared to 60 percent of white fathers and 45 percent of Hispanic fathers.

The study noted that fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives has shown to have a positive effect on their children and their well-being in many areas, including academic success, reducing the chances of delinquency and substance abuse.

The study follows an earlier report by the U.S. Census Bureau that more single black men are heading households.