In rural areas, the self-management levels of pregnant women not only remain generally low but also vary significantly among individuals, thereby necessitating a detailed investigation into their behavioral patterns to facilitate their classification into distinct groups.

This analysis explores the types and characteristics of self-management among pregnant women in rural areas to provide references for devising targeted management strategies.

From January to August 2023, a convenience sampling method was employed to select pregnant women from Suihua City and Daqing City in Heilongjiang Province, and Changchun City in Jilin Province. Surveys were conducted using a general data questionnaire, a self-management scale for pregnant women, a general self-efficacy scale, an internal motivation scale, and a prenatal care knowledge scale. Cluster analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0 to classify the subjects into different types based on their self-management traits and compare their general characteristics.

A total of 481 questionnaires were distributed, and 470 valid questionnaires were retrieved, with a valid questionnaire recovery rate of 97.7%. It was found that the total score for self-management behaviors among the surveyed rural pregnant women stood at (70.2±16.4). Four distinct types were identified through optimal clustering: typeⅠ, characterized by low awareness non-participants (25.3%, n=119) ; typeⅡ, those who engage through guided cooperation (29.4%, n=138) ; typeⅢ, those under supervised directive (18.7%, n=88) ; and typeⅣ, proactive participants (26.6%, n=125). Noteworthy were the significant statistical differences that emerged across such variables as educational backgrounds, occupations, annual incomes, number of pregnancies, gestational weeks, whether pregnancies were planned, histories of chronic diseases, and complications during pregnancy among the four types (P<0.05). Furthermore, the comparison of scores across different self-management dimensions revealed significant statistical differences, with adherence to medical advice scoring the highest and fetal monitoring behavior scoring the lowest (P<0.05) .

The four types of self-management among rural pregnant women, identified based on differentiated characteristics in prenatal care knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral motivation, exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity. Type Ⅰ, characterized by low awareness non-participants, faces the dual challenge of inadequate knowledge reserves and lack of behavioral motivation. Type Ⅱ, those who engage through guided cooperation, is marked by low self-efficacy but good compliance with external guidance. TypeⅢ, those under supervised directive, lacks intrinsic motivation and relies heavily on external supervision for regulating self-management behaviors. Type Ⅳ, proactive participants, represents the most optimal group, possessing strong prenatal care knowledge, high self-efficacy, and effective self-management behaviors. Therefore, in clinical practice, targeted intervention strategies can be developed according to each type, in order to further enhance the self-management capabilities of rural pregnant women and optimize prenatal care services.