The benefits of patient education for those with chronic arthritis are well documented. Informed patients should practice self care more often, and may show reduced disability from their disease. An important question relates to maintenance of the knowledge and skills acquired in educational programmes. This prospective study evaluated an education programme for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthntis (OA). The intervention group participated in a comprehensively planned six session behaviourally based programme. A questionnaire was given to 100 patients and 95 matched but non-random controls before the programme, 1 month later, and at 3 and 12 months. The intervention group demonstrated improvements in knowledge, self-reported health behaviour and disability scores at 12 months, compared to the controls. No differences were reported in symptoms, compliance with therapy, pain perception, and locus of control.