Reusable nappies: research

2 Methodology

2.1 Overview of research design

The research consisted of two phases:

Phase 1: Rapid evidence Assessment

A rapid evidence assessment was conducted to identify evidence on behaviours and attitudes of parents in relation to reusable nappies and the wider systems that influence these. This also included assessment of the evidence on impacts of schemes or interventions to support reusable nappy uptake.

Phase 2: Collection of primary data

In the second stage of the research, focus groups were carried out with parents in Scotland to help address gaps in the existing evidence base, as identified in phase 1.

The following sections outline the research methods used in Phase 1 and Phase 2 in more detail.

2.2 Rapid evidence review method

The rapid evidence assessment/rapid review methodology adopted comprises elements of a systematic literature review (e.g. replicable search strategy, transparent inclusion/exclusion criteria), conducted over a short timescale for the timely production of policy relevant research (Thomas et al., 2013). Due to time constraints rapid reviews are necessarily less comprehensive and rigorous than full systematic reviews, including e.g. more limited search strategies, narrower scope or considering a narrower range of research methods. A review protocol was agreed with Scottish Government colleagues prior to literature searching commencing. The full protocol can be seen in Appendix A.

2.2.1 Scope

The review included both academic and grey literature published within the last 20 years. Academic literature included original research articles and literature reviews. Grey literature included research reports, working papers, briefings etc. In addition to the grey literature documents sourced through the grey literature searches, a limited review of general website content relating to specific schemes operating in Scotland was also conducted.

The geographic scope of the review included high-income countries in Western Europe, North America and Australasia, for comparability with the Scottish context. Further details on the inclusion/exclusion criteria adopted is shown in Appendix A.

2.2.2 Search strategy

Academic literature was sourced through searches conducted on the Web of Science database and Google Scholar. Grey literature was identified through targeted searching of websites of relevant organisations (Scotland, UK and international), and through Google Scholar searches. A list of organisational websites searched is included in Appendix A. One further grey literature source, a relevant report cited in a reviewed source was also included (snowball sampling).

Search strings incorporated combinations of the keywords shown in Table 1 below. All search strings and numbers of returns were recorded. Returns were screened against inclusion/exclusion criteria on the basis of title and abstract in the first instance.

Keywords used in academic and grey literature searches

Reusability keywords

• Reusable
• Cloth
• Real

Nappies keywords

• Nappies/nappy
• Diaper

Behavioural keywords

• Behaviour
• Behavior
• Attitudes
• Perception
• Barrier
• Motivation

Intervention keywords

• Intervention
• Evaluat*
• Scheme
• Initiative

Environmental impact keywords

• ‘Environmental impact’
• ‘carbon footprint’
• LCA

*indicates inclusion of related words with different endings e.g. evaluation/evaluate/evaluating

2.2.3 Additional desk-based mapping of Scottish schemes

As a supplement to the literature review, a further desk-based activity mapping reusable nappy schemes or interventions thought to be operational in Scotland was performed to give an indication of the supports currently available (Appendix D). This included searching of website content from local authorities, reusable nappy networks, Google, and social media.

2.3 Primary data collection method

The focus group methodology has the capacity to produce rich qualitative data on specific themes, while considering a range of perspectives. According to Guest et al. (2017), focus group research can reveal up to 90% of the ‘discoverable themes’ within three to six focus groups. With this in mind, focus groups were selected as a suitable data collection method due to the time constraints of the research project. Online focus groups are considered to provide similarly rich qualitative data to in person, face to face focus groups (Abrams et al., 2015). Additionally, online focus groups allow for a greater range of participants due to the ability to join from any location, while reducing the financial and time cost to participants as travel is not required. Online focus groups do however have limitations such as the risk of technical problems causing participant withdrawal, greater input needed from the facilitator to direct the conversation and less room for elaboration from participants due to the dynamic of online interactions.

2.3.1 Focus Group Design

The primary data collection involved the facilitation of 3 online focus groups (1-1.5 hour duration each) comprised of parents in Scotland with children aged between 0-5 years old. A market research services provider (QRS) was used to recruit, screen and compensate participants as well as to collect demographic data as part of the screening process. Each focus group was designed to have 6 participants, with a mix of people from rural and urban areas, a mix of men and women, a range of ages, as well as participants with varying levels of experience with reusable nappies. At the time of data collection, 2 participants withdrew from the focus groups due to personal circumstances preventing participation, resulting in a total of 16 participants overall. The 1-1.5 hr long focus groups were held online via MS Teams and were audio and video recorded with consent from participants. Two researchers were present in the focus groups, with one researcher facilitating the conversation and one researcher note-taking and providing technical assistance where necessary. The questions included in the focus group schedule were informed by the early findings of the rapid evidence review, as well as direction from Scottish Government colleagues on particular themes of interest. The focus group schedule was designed to explore experiential knowledge of nappy use, the attitudes towards reusable nappies, the external influences that shape nappy choices, knowledge and awareness of nappy schemes, the potential influence of environmental concern on nappy choices, and the barriers and motivators surrounding nappy choices and use.

2.3.2 Focus Group Composition

The market research services provider screened participants on the following demographics: age, gender, participant occupation, working status, chief wage earner occupation, marital status, ethnicity, and location. Additional screener questions were asked to ensure participants had sufficient experiential knowledge regarding nappy choices and use with young children. These questions included whether participants had children aged 0-5 years, the life stage of children and whether participants had experience with reusable nappies. A longlist of screening questions were used in order to ensure a range of experiences within each focus group, rather than for the purpose of demographic comparison in the analysis of the qualitative data. All focus group participants had children aged 0-5 years old at the time of data collection and the age range of participants was between 25 and 43 years across the three focus groups. The overall demographics of the focus groups are summarised below.

Overall Focus Group Composition

Experience with Reusables

• 8 Yes
• 8 No

Rural / Urban Residence

• 6 Rural
• 10 Urban

Gender

• 6 Male
• 10 Female

Ethnicity

• 4 Asian
• 12 White

Occupation Status

• 7 Full Time Employment
• 7 Part Time Employment
• 2 Maternity/Paternity Leave

Marital Status

• 14 Married/Cohabiting
• 1 Divorced/Separated
• 1 Single