Comfort Perception of Breathable and Nonbreathable Diapers

Breathable diapers were rated significantly drier, cooler and more comfortable than nonbreathable diapers over a range of controlled environmental conditions. Healthy, continent adults evaluated two types of diapers, one of which contained a microporous, breathable outer cover and the other a standard occlusive cover, in a series of blinded, comparison studies under various external conditions and activity levels. The subjects were capable of perceiving comfort or discomfort in the diaper area to a remarkable degree. Subjective perceptions of warmth and wetness underneath the diaper correlated with objective measurements of temperature and relative humidity (RH). Comfort ratings for the breathable diaper increased significantly over that of the nonbreathable garment as ambient temperature, RH and physical activity increased. Data analysis showed that the sensation of wetness in the diaper area was strongly associated with discomfort.