The uninvolved dad, turning up his nose at diapering  and too busy to bathe, dress and play with his kids,  is mostly a myth  , a big government survey suggests.  Most American fathers say they are heavily involved in hands-on parenting, the researchers found. The results are encouraging and important " because others have found the more involved dads  are, the better the outcomes for their children. " said researcher Jo Jones of the National Center for  Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. She co-authored the report  released Friday. "Times have changed," said Robert Loftus, 34, of Yonkers, NY. He quit a six-figure sales  job a year ago to care for his two young children while his wife works full time. "We are trying to  rethink our priorities    and family seem to be N0 1  priority while in the past maybe people were more focused on career. " The study involved nearly 4.000 fathers who were interviewed in person between 2009 and 2013. *Key findings among fathers living with children younger than 5 : *9 in 10 bathed, diapered, helped them use the toilet or get dressed at least several times weekly . * Even higher numbers played with them and ate meals with them that often * Almost 2 0ut of 3 read to them at least several times weekly. *Among dads living with kids aged 5-18. * More than 9 0ut of 10 ate meals with them at least several times weekly and talked with them about what happened during the kids' day that often. * Almost 2 0ut of 3 helped with homework several times weekly. * About half took their kids to or from activities that often. Dr. David Hill, a Wilmington, N. C. pediatrician   said the survey reflects what he's seen among his patients'  fathers.  Increasingly, fathers rather than mothers take their kids to the doctor.  Some "are anxious about changing a diaper, "  he said. Census  numbers show that there were almost 190,000 stay-at-home dads nationwide last year versus 93,000 in 2010.  Loftus, the New York stay-at-home dad, said, "I feel fortunate to be able to be such a hands-on father.  I'm doing the most significant occupation in the world. " What can we learn about the research?
It aimed to study fathers' influence on kids. It showed most fathers often helped kids learn. It found most fathers played with kids every day. It mainly surveyed fathers' living with young kids.