Image: ©iStock/Danchai Nortown

(04/02/2026) Iowa City VA researchers showed home-based cardiac rehabilitation can be a safe and effective way to manage cardiovascular disease. The study enrolled 208 Veterans in a 12-month program involving weekly phone and video sessions offering tailored exercise, nutrition counseling, stress management, tobacco cessation, medication adherence, and education. One year after the end of the program, participants demonstrated significant improvements in exercise capacity, depression, self-management, eating habits, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. The results show home-based cardiac rehabilitation can improve access to care for Veterans unable to attend in-person rehabilitation. (Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Retention, Jan. 1, 2026)