The Effects of Alcohol Hand Sanitizer on Elementary School Absences

ISSUE: The major contributor to absenteeism at the elementary school level is illness caused by the spread of microorganisms. Hands are the primary mode of transmission of many infectious diseases, particularly among school-aged children. Teaching children appropriate hand hygiene practices can potentially result in reduction of the spread of infection and the resulting lost learning days due to absenteeism. PROJECT: In winter 2003, a project using alcohol hand sanitizer was initiated in five second-grade classrooms and one first/second combination classroom, involving 138 children. Three classrooms served as the control group and three as the test group. The students in the test classrooms received an age-appropriate interactive learning session regarding the transfer of microorganisms as well as an explanation and demonstration of proper handwashing techniques and use of alcohol hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizer was then installed in those classrooms. The teachers recorded the number of days absent per child due to illness, with illness defined as cold, flu, conjunctivitis, and gastrointestinal symptoms. RESULTS: The overall reduction in absenteeism due to illness was 28% for students who used the alcohol hand gel sanitizer, compared with the students in the control classrooms. The days absent per student were 3.20 in the control classrooms and 2.30 in the test classrooms.