The International classification of functioning, disability and health – children and youth (ICF‐CY): testing its utility in classifying information from eco-cultural family interviews with ethnically diverse families with children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to test the utility of the International classification of functioning, disability and health--children and youth's (ICF-CY) Environmental Factors component by classifying family interview data from two ethnically and culturally diverse--Kyrgyz and Uzbek--families that have children with various types of disabilities in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. METHODS: The eco-cultural family interview (EFI) was used to interview four Kyrgyz and four Uzbek families. The obtained data were analysed by using manifest content analysis; identified units of meaning named as 'EFI items' and 'EFI concepts' were then linked to the ICF-CY's codes by application of ten linkage rules. RESULTS: The analysis of transcribed interviews identified 669 EFI items and 745 EFI concepts. The linking of EFI items to the ICF-CY showed: 92 EFI items and concepts were linked to nd (not definable); 104 items were linked to nc (not covered by the ICF-CY); 15 items were categorised as pf (personal factors); 21 items were linked to categories found in Activities and Participation; and 3 were linked to Body Functions components. The rest of EFI items and concepts were linked to categories of the Environmental Factors component. CONCLUSION: The codes included into Chapters 1, 2 and 5 of the ICF-CY environmental component can be easily assigned to the relevant EFI items. There is a necessity to add more codes in Chapters 3 and 4 of the Environmental Factors component, and the inclusion of a separate component of Personal Factors into the classification is suggested.