Hearts of the Hustle: Measuring 10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk on the Streets of Bengaluru

Background and Aim: Street vendors in India represent a vulnerable occupational group with high exposure to cardiovascular (CV) risk factors such as tobacco use, obesity, and stress, yet remain excluded from routine health screening. The aim of this study was to estimate the 10-year risk of CV events among street vendors in Bengaluru using the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Society of Hypertension (ISH) risk prediction charts for the South-East Asia Region D (SEAR-D) region. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 90 randomly selected street vendors in Rajajinagar, Bengaluru. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and clinical data were collected. Blood pressure and random blood sugar were measured. The WHO/ISH SEAR-D nonlaboratory-based risk charts were applied. Data were analyzed using Epi Info version 7, with Chi-square test for associations. Results: Of the 90 participants, 66.7% were male, and 46.6% were aged 41–59 years. Over half (54.4%) were obese, 30% diabetic, and 36.6% hypertensive (new and known cases combined). Overall, 60% had low CV disease risk (<10%), 15.6% moderate (10%–20%), 10% high (20%–30%), and 14.4% very high risk (≥30%). Age ≥40 years was significantly associated with a higher risk ( P = 0.005). No significant associations were found with gender, education, income, or vending type. Conclusion: A substantial proportion (40%) of street vendors were at moderate to very high risk of developing a CV event in the next 10 years, particularly those aged ≥40 years.