Effect of light therapy and continuous health education on older adults with coronary heart disease and comorbid depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled trial

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Light Therapy (LT) along with continuous health education on community-dwelling elderly Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) patients with comorbid Depressive Symptoms (DSs). A stratified whole-cluster random sample of 60 community-dwelling patients aged ≥65 years with CHD and comorbid DSs was selected and randomized. The participants were randomized into control and intervention groups for routine management alone and LT+continuous health education intervention, respectively (N = 30 each). Data on glycolipid metabolic indices and inflammatory factor levels were collected using questionnaires at baseline and at the end of the 12-week intervention and then analyzed. Compared to control group patients, intervention group patients showed a significant improvement in depressive symptoms, sleep quality, cognitive function, CHD-related knowledge acquisition, medication adherence, social support, and quality of life (p < 0.05), as well as lower Total Cholesterol (TC) and Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) levels (p < 0.05). Overall, LT-based psycho-cardiological rehabilitation therapy may be more cost-effective and suitable for homebound older CHD patients with comorbid DSs.