Objective: To investigate characteristics of exposure to violence in relation to food security status among female-headed households. Design: Ongoing mixed-method participatory action study. Questions addressed food insecurity, public assistance, and maternal and child health. Grounded theory analysis of qualitative themes related to violence was performed. These themes were then categorized by food security status. Setting: Homes of low-income families in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Subjects: Forty-four mothers of children under 3 years of age participating in public assistance programmes. Results: Forty women described exposure to violence ranging from fear of violence to personal experiences with rape. Exposure to violence affected mental health, ability to continue school and obtain work with living wages, and subsequently the ability to afford food. Exposure to violence during childhood and being a perpetrator of violence were both linked to very low food security status and depressive symptoms. Ten of seventeen (59 %) participants reporting very low food security described life-changing violence, compared with three of fifteen (20 %) participants reporting low food security and four of twelve (33 %) reporting food security. Examples of violent experiences among the very low food secure group included exposure to child abuse, neglect and rape that suggest exposure to violence is an important factor in the experience of very low food security. Conclusions: Descriptions of childhood trauma and life-changing violence are linked with severe food security. Policy makers and clinicians should incorporate violence prevention efforts when addressing hunger.

The self-initiated learning activities of experienced public school teachers are examined in this study. Twenty-two experienced teachers were interviewed to develop a greater understanding of the types of self-initiated learning activities in which they engage and the organizational characteristics that in¯uence their participation in those activities. Analysis of the data showed that experienced teachers engaged in three types of self-initiated learning activities: knowledge exchanging, experimenting, and environmental scanning. Participation in these activities was in¯uenced by the availability of resources, physical layout, and level of centralization in their schools. Implications of these ® ndings for theory, practice, and future research in teacher learning and development are discussed.

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