Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of an exercise education intervention on exercise behavior, depression and fatigue status of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Design/methodology/approach: This was a pilot study using an exercise education program as an intervention for CKD patients. The authors used the transtheoretical model (TTM) to design the exercise education programs. A total of 94 subjects diagnosed with CKD at a medical center in Taiwan participated in this quasi-experimental study. Subjects were randomly divided into the experimental group (n=45) and the control group (n=49). The education program included written materials and teaching activities designed to encourage participants to initiate and continue regular exercise. Both groups took the pre-test and post-test containing a depression inventory, a fatigue scale and an exercise behavior inventory. Findings: The findings indicated that changes in the exercise behavior, depression and fatigue status of the experimental group were statistically significant after the exercise education intervention compared with the control group. Originality/value: The paper demonstrates that exercise education intervention can be administered by nursing staff, or a health educator, to encourage patients to exercise in order to enhance their quality of care. (Contains 4 tables.)