Provides demographic and cultural background on the Cambodian community in Seattle, Washington, focusing on its experience gaining access to health care services. Part of a series of profiles of underserved ethnic communities developed by the Seattle-based Cross Cultural Health Care Program, this survey is intended to help health care providers offer culturally appropriate care. Written by and in consultation with members of Seattle’s Cambodia community, this profile contains information about Cambodian history, including the Khmer Rouge’s bloody regime, and about village life; the dominant religion, Buddhism; the Khmer language and the extent of illiteracy; the size and places of resettlement of the Cambodian population in the Seattle area; family life and local community organizations; preference for folk remedies over Western medicine; social customs concerning maternal and child health; attitudes toward medical care, including the expectation that alleviation of symptoms should be swift and the tendency not to continue medications prescribed for chronic illnesses; and barriers to receiving medical care, including cultural and language confusion, reluctance to disclose private information, prohibitions on bodily contact, and lack of understanding about and vocabulary for mental illness. Also contains suggestions that health care professionals can follow to work more effectively with their Cambodian patients.
