Reusable nappies: research

3 Findings: Overview of the evidence base on reusable nappies

In total, 48 documents were included in the review, of which 33 were academic publications and 15 grey literature documents (see Figure 1 for more detail). Of the 48 documents included, the majority (69%) were academic publications. Table 3 shows key characteristics of the literature reviewed.

The original research drew on qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Thirteen review studies were also included. Review articles tended to focus on the environmental impacts of different types of nappies and on household waste prevention schemes more broadly. No reviews focused specifically on attitudes and behaviours towards reusable nappies. Studies were classified according to the main theme of relevance to the review. Eleven sources primarily offered insights in relation to attitudes and behaviours and 13 featured some level of evaluation of nappy schemes (with or without additional information on attitudes and behaviours). Six sources described examples of reusable nappy schemes but did not assess impacts. Sources classed within the ‘other’ theme focused on a broad range of topics including potty training, environmental justice, poverty and nappy/diaper need, and general waste prevention.