A community health worker (CHW) model can promote HIV prevention and treatment behaviors, 
especially in highly mobile populations. In a fishing community in Rakai, Uganda, the Rakai 
Health Sciences Program implemented a community health worker HIV intervention called Health 
Scouts. The situated Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills (sIMB) framework informed 
the design and a qualitative evaluation of the intervention. We interviewed 51 intervention 
clients and coded transcripts informed by sIMB framework dimensions. Clients reported that 
Health Scouts provided information about HIV prevention and treatment behaviors and helped 
them manage personal and social motivations to carry out health-promoting behavior. Prominent barriers which moved clients away from behavior change included daily pill burdens, anticipated 
stigma, serostatus disclosure, substance use at social gatherings, and anticipated reactions of 
partners. Our study adds to the evidence establishing CHWs as facilitators of behavior change, 
positioned to offer supportive encouragement and navigate contextualized circumstances.