Generous applications of hand sanitizers may not be enough to keep kids from getting sick after all.

A study out of New Zealand found that schools with added hand sanitizer stations in them did not experience a reduction in the amount of students who stayed home ill from school.

Conducted in 68 elementary schools throughout New Zealand, the study followed students for two winters to record the number of absences and how that number was affected by the introduction of hand sanitizer stations in certain schools.

Students in all schools were given lessons on how to properly wash their hands during cold and flu season. Then sanitizer dispensers were placed in several of the schools. Students in those schools were encouraged to use the dispensers when entering or exiting the classroom or after having sneezed or coughed.

The results showed no significant difference in the amount of absences between schools with the sanitizer stations and those without.

The study concluded that, “The provision of hand sanitizers in addition to usual hand hygiene in primary schools in New Zealand did not prevent disease of severity sufficient to cause school absence.”

Despite the general conclusion that hand sanitizer does not benefit students during times of high absence rates, the study does note some limitations that may have affected the outcome. Conducted during the height of cold and flu season, the study suggests that the 30 minute sessions on hand sanitation offered to all students may have impacted their habits during the study. Less benefit may have been measured because more kids were mindfully practicing hand sanitation in an effort not to get sick.