University of Minnesota researchers have found that while middle-school girls who share regular family meals see beneficial effects throughout their teenage years on substance-using behaviors, boys do not experience the same effects from a regular family presence at the dinner table.

The latest survey, involving 800 Minnesota schoolchildren, indicated that middle-school girls who ate with their families at least five times a week were much less likely to use alcohol, tobacco or marijuana five years later. But no association between family meals and substance-using behavior was found in the group of boys studied, which came as a surprise to researchers, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported July 22.

Researchers found that the protective effect for girls existed even for those girls who reported not having a great relationship with their parents. These girls still were half as likely to abuse substances later if they attended regular family meals.

"That connection with caring adults is the most protective factor for kids," said David Walsh, who heads the National Institute on Media and the Family. "It's more important than income, family status or religion. Family meals are a way to build that connection."

Study lead author Marla Eisenberg, an assistant professor at the university's School of Public Health, offered a possible explanation for the different results for girls and boys in citing differences in the way the sexes relate to families. She speculated that girls could be picking up on subtle reinforcing messages from family members — signals that boys may tend to miss.

Families in some Minnesota communities have been organizing against late-day school events and Sunday athletic practices in order to protect traditional family time at home.

The study results were published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health.