Provides demographic and cultural background on the Eritrean 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 Eritrean community, this profile contains information about the history of Eritrea, including the struggle for independence from Ethiopia which sent refugees fleeing to Sudan; the languages and religions of Eritrea’s 9 ethnic groups; the size and places of resettlement of the Eritrean population in the Seattle area; family life and local community organizations; traditional health care beliefs and practices; social customs concerning maternal and child health and circumcision; attitudes toward medical care, including reluctance to seek professional help until illness becomes serious, belief in the efficacy of shots over medications, preference for interpreters who are Eritrean, and preference for midwife-assisted delivery of newborns; and barriers to receiving medical care, including gender-privacy issues and limited understanding of the origins of disease. Also contains suggestions that health care professionals can follow to work more effectively with their Eritrean patients.
