The adoption of the randomised controlled trial within public health research to test behavioural and lifestyle interventions means that trial researchers are increasingly expected to balance ambitions of methodological rigour and social relevance in the performance of a trial. Striking this balance is particularly important when it comes to the issue of participant compliance. This article draws from fieldwork among researchers in an exercise trial in Denmark to explore the work entailed in achieving and measuring participant compliance from a distance. By drawing on perspectives from surveillance studies, we focus on the practices, technologies and forms of knowing involved in aligning participant’s bodies and practices with specific data production ambitions. The analysis highlights the work and challenges entailed in retaining participants within the scope of the researchers’ monitoring. In conclusion, we suggest that the firm commitment to produce quantitative data on compliance elides the work, challenges and collaborative practices entailed in achieving compliance and highlighting the challenges of ensuring compliance. The article describes the randomised controlled trial, not as a powerful governmental socio-technical apparatus, but as a fragile, situated, and fundamentally challenged surveillance system. This has important implications for ambitions to consider the complexity of behavioural interventions.

中文翻译：

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平衡方法的纯度和社会相关性：在行为 RCT 中监测参与者的依从性

在公共卫生研究中采用随机对照试验来测试行为和生活方式干预措施，这意味着越来越期望试验研究人员在试验执行中平衡方法学严谨性和社会相关性的雄心。在涉及参与者合规性问题时，取得这种平衡尤为重要。本文借鉴了丹麦一项运动试验中研究人员的实地工作，以探索从远处实现和衡量参与者依从性所需的工作。通过借鉴监测研究的观点，我们专注于使参与者的身体和实践与特定的数据生产目标保持一致所涉及的实践、技术和认识形式。分析强调了将参与者保留在研究人员监测范围内所需的工作和挑战。总而言之，我们建议坚定承诺生成关于合规的定量数据，从而消除了实现合规所需的工作、挑战和协作实践，并突出了确保合规的挑战。这篇文章描述了随机对照试验，不是作为一个强大的政府社会技术机构，而是作为一个脆弱的、定位的、从根本上受到挑战的监测系统。这对于考虑行为干预的复杂性的雄心具有重要意义。实现合规和突出确保合规的挑战所涉及的挑战和协作做法。这篇文章描述了随机对照试验，不是作为一个强大的政府社会技术机构，而是作为一个脆弱的、定位的、从根本上受到挑战的监测系统。这对于考虑行为干预的复杂性的雄心具有重要意义。实现合规和突出确保合规的挑战所涉及的挑战和协作做法。这篇文章描述了随机对照试验，不是作为一个强大的政府社会技术机构，而是作为一个脆弱的、定位的、从根本上受到挑战的监测系统。这对于考虑行为干预的复杂性的雄心具有重要意义。