Objective To investigate the health belief and pre-hospital delay behavioral intention among high-risk population for stroke, construct a joint network to identify core issues, and explore relationships among variables. Methods A total of 449 high-risk individuals for stroke were recruited from The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University between Jul. 2024 and Mar. 2025 using convenience sampling. A questionnaire survey was done by general information questionnaire, health belief scale, and stroke pre-hospital delay behavioral intention scale. Each dimension of the health belief scale and the stroke pre-hospital delay behavioral intention scale was regarded as a node, and a joint network was constructed using network analysis. Then the core nodes and bridge nodes were identified, and the influence and importance of each node were analyzed. Results The total score of health belief among the participants was 159.8±33.4, indicating an overall medium level; the total score of stroke pre-hospital delay behavioral intention was 70.6±21.7, suggesting a moderate overall possibility. Symptom attribution (strength＝0.88), perceived control (strength＝0.83), and perceived implementation capability (strength＝0.71) were core nodes in the joint network. Perceived threat (bridge strength＝1.56), symptom attribution (bridge strength＝1.08), and perceived resource utilization (bridge strength＝0.89) were key bridge nodes. Conclusion A complex relationship exists between health belief and pre-hospital delay behavioral intention in high-risk population for stroke. Symptom attribution, perceived control, perceived implementation capability, perceived threat, and perceived resource utilization are priority intervention targets for this population.