Protocol for a feasibility study of longitudinal surveys to assess the impact of policies on tobacco use among school-going adolescents in South Asia

<ns3:p> <ns3:bold>Background:</ns3:bold> Smokeless tobacco (ST) use is common among youth in South Asia where 85% of the world’s 300 million ST users live and use the most lethal ST forms. Little is known about the impact of tobacco control policies on the youth ST uptake in those countries. We planned to conduct longitudinal surveys among school going adolescents to evaluate existing tobacco control policies on tobacco uptake and use, and a feasibility study for that prospective, observational cohort study. </ns3:p> <ns3:p> <ns3:bold>Study objectives:</ns3:bold> (1) To demonstrate the feasibility of selection, recruitment and retention of schools and of study participants; (2) To assess the feasibility and acceptability of the study procedure and study tool (questionnaire); (3) To evaluate if the questionnaire…