In the case of BBBS, although the program had been established for 5 years in the west of Ireland, it was in the process of being ‘‘rolled out’’ nationally. The logical solution was to limit the study to the western area but this in turn would have implications in terms of the ability to recruit an adequate sample. Another challenge would be to ensure stakeholder commitment to a lengthy study and complete the study within the timeframes set down by funders. In addition, the design had to include strategies to avoid ‘‘resentful demoralization’’ on the part of the control group and ensure that control group participants were sufficiently motivated to continue with the study over the proposed 1.5-year timeframe. They also had to ensure that they did not receive alternative treatment that would threaten the integrity of the experiment