Effect of Poppy Seed Oil Use With and Without Education Based on the Social Cognitive Theory on Pain Severity and Pain Self-efficacy in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Controlled Clinical Trial

Objectives This study aimed to compare the effects of poppy seed oil use with and without education based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) on pain severity and pain self-efficacy in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (KO). Pain is the main symptom of older adults with osteoarthritis. Methods & Materials This is a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial on 129 older people with KO referred to a pain clinic in Babol city, north of Iran, in 2022-2023. They were divided into three groups, A, B, and C, using the block randomization method. Group A used poppy seed oil consumption along with education based on the SCT model. Group B used poppy seed oil without education, and group C was the control group that received routine treatments. A demographic form, pain self-efficacy questionnaire (PSEQ), and visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to collect data. Data was analyzed in SPSS software, version 23 using the chi-square test, analysis of variance, Friedman’s test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and regression analysis. Results Most of the participants were female (n=102, 77.9%). No significant difference was observed in the VAS score among the groups from the pretest phase to week 4, from the pretest phase to week 8, or from week 4 to week 8 post-intervention (P>0.05). The mean VAS score in three groups was significantly different among the three time points (P<0.05). The difference in PSEQ score was significant in weeks 4 and 8 post-intervention only between Groups A and C (P=0.004 and 0.001, respectively), but not between groups A and B or between groups B and C (P>0.05). Also, the mean PSEQ score was significantly different among the three time points in Groups A and B (P<0.001). Conclusion The use of poppy seed oil with or without SCT-based education can improve pain severity and pain self-efficacy in older adults with KO.