A randomised controlled trial conducted by staff at the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine failed to show any effect of hand sanitiser use on school absences.
Research led by Dr Patrician Priest of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine included 68 primary schools in Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill and over 2,400 children. Schools and children participated in a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effect of hand sanitiser and hygiene education on school absences over two school semesters, with researchers finding that hand sanitiser use did not reduce the number of sick days.
The study was published 12 August 2014 in the journal PLoS Medicine. More information and media coverage is available at the Science Media Centre.