Alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in classrooms do not lead to reductions in the rate of school absences in children, a new study shows.
The researchers conducted a randomized trial on 68 city primary schools (2443 children aged between 5-11 years old) in New Zealand. They found that the rate of absence was similar in the control and intervention schools.
The authors don’t deny the usefulness of hand sanitizer for hygiene, they conclude that putting resources into hygiene by providing hand sanitizers in classrooms may not be effective in reducing absences due to illness.
Original research paper published in the journal Nature on August 13, 2014.
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