Post-natal Care


Figure 1: Anatomy of a Disposable Diaper Diaper top view


Front of diaper Leg elastics


Acquisition patch


Barrier leg cuffs


Topsheet (with backsheet underneath)


Improved Skin pH


Maintaining normal/optimal skin pH is also key to protect diapered skin from the irritating effects of faecal enzymes. Clinical studies show that, compared with cloth and conventional disposable diapers, the introduction of disposable diapers containing super absorbers allowed skin pH in the diaper area to be significantly closer to the pH of undiapered skin (see Table 1).8


Fifty Percent Less Diaper Rash Diaper core


Fastening system


Back of diaper Diaper side view Waist feature


Acquisition patch (pulls wetness into core)


Topsheet Inside surface Better Sleep


Front of diaper


Backsheet


Back of diaper


Outside surface Fluid storage core


(proprietary combination of super absorbers and cellulose)


The modern disposable diaper contains multiple layers of material depending on the manufacturer’s design. The inner layer in contact with the infant’s skin is made of a synthetic material that dries quickly while allowing the liquid to pass through to the middle layer or transfer zone. Moisture is then wicked to the super absorbent core (which can absorb more than 30 times its weight in urine) and locked away from the baby’s skin. The final layer is made of a soft textured material, which is waterproof to prevent moisture from leaking through but also porous enough to allow some humidity to evaporate.


Table 1: Disposable Diapers with Super Absorbers Provide Better Diapered Skin pH Control


n Skin pH (Diapered – Undiapered Skin)


Super absorbent disposable diaper 93 0.59* Conventional disposable diaper Home laundered cloth diaper


94 0.9 106 1.16


* p<0.05 versus conventional disposable and cloth diapers.


Skin pH was measured on both the diapered and undiapered skin (representing normal skin pH) after four weeks of using the test products. The difference in pH measurements shows that using disposable diapers with super absorbers results in a skin pH closer to normal skin pH than using conventional disposable diapers or home laundered cloth diapers. Source: adapted from Campbell et al., 1987.8


Improved Skin Dryness


Maintaining dry skin under the diaper is critical to protecting the stratum corneum from the damaging effects of urine. The most significant development contributing to baby skin dryness is the super absorbent core. The super absorbent polymers (SAPs) in the diaper core, also known as absorbent gelling material (AGM), have the capacity to absorb up to 30 times their weight in urine and keep the fluid stored away from the baby’s skin. The result is that baby skin protected with disposable diapers containing super absorbers is significantly drier than baby skin protected using cloth or disposable diapers without super absorbers (conventional diapers).8


32


The comfort and dryness provided by disposable diapers result in reduced infant sleep disruption compared with infants wearing cloth diapers. A 2008 study presented at the 4th Annual Pediatric Sleep Medicine Conference showed that Chinese infants wearing Pampers® versus cloth diapers experienced fewer sleep disruptions throughout the night.10


Waist feature


Dryer baby skin and optimal skin pH provided by modern disposable diapers result in lower diaper rash prevalence and severity. Adam carried out a retrospective analysis of clinical trials conducted from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s to evaluate whether the incidence and severity of diaper dermatitis changed following the widespread use of super absorbent diapers in Europe.9


The overall mean rash


grade improved by 50 % in the post-super absorbent diaper period. The results of this analysis are summarised in the Figure 2.


The study, conducted in collaboration between Beijing Children’s Hospital and researchers from Duke University, Emory University and University of California Irvine, showed that the babies wearing Pampers experienced less time awake and longer bouts of uninterrupted sleep (see Figure 3).


More Hygienic Environment


Disposable diapers have the additional benefit of a better containment of faecal matter and thus a reduced spread of faecal organisms. Studies in nurseries have shown that the contamination of surfaces and hands was significantly reduced when babies were wearing disposable diapers versus cloth diapers.11


Measurable Environmental Improvements To obtain a complete picture of the environmental profile of a product, its environmental impact from the very beginning right until the end of its life-cycle should be considered. The quantification of all energy and mass flows over the entire life-cycle of a product is done using a method called life-cycle assessment (LCA), consistent with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards 14040/14044.


A recent study by Weisbrod and Van Hoof12 investigated the factors


influencing the sustainability of disposable diapers. One conclusion was that the sourcing and production of diaper materials contribute most to the environmental indicators evaluated, accounting for ~84 % of all non-renewable energy uses and ~64 % of global warming potential. Surprisingly, diaper disposal is only a small contributor to the product’s environmental impact (accounting for 1–12 %).


In this context, an important question is: what is scientifically accurate to communicate in terms of environmental improvements? The most relevant measures of improvement in the environmental sustainability of disposable diapers are reductions in the materials and energy used for manufacturing. Statements about environmental improvements coming from factors that have less impact or irrelevant indicators


EUROPEAN OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY SUPPLEMENT


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