OBJECTIVE: Screening for gestational @entity6 commonly uses an oral @entity413 challenge test with a 50-g glucola beverage and subsequent @entity1211 . However, up to 30% of pregnant @entity1 report significant side-effects, and the beverage is costly. We hypothesized that equivalent @entity413 loads could be achieved from a popular candy twist (Twizzlers; The Hershey Company, Hershey, PA) and tested it as cost-effective, tolerable alternative with a test of equivalency. STUDY DESIGN: The @entity413 equivalent of the 50-g glucola was calculated as 10 candy twists. We initially used a triple crossover design in nonpregnant @entity1 whereby each subject served as her own control; this ensured the safety and equivalency of this load before using it among pregnant subjects. We then recruited pregnant @entity1 with an abnormal screening at 1 hour ( @entity413 challenge test) in a double crossover design study. Subjects consumed 10 candy twists with a 1-hour venous blood @entity413 assessment. All subjects subsequently completed the confirmatory 3-hour @entity413 tolerance test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, false-referral rates, and detection rates were calculated. RESULTS: At >= 130 mg/dL, the sensitivity (100%) was the same for  candy twists and glucola. However, the false-referral rate (82% vs  90%), positive predictive value (18% vs 10%), and detection rate (18% vs 10%) were improved for candy twists when compared with the 50-g glucola beverage. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that strawberry-flavored candy twists are potentially an equally effective screening test, compared with the gold standard glucola beverage but lead to fewer false-positive screens and therefore could be a cost-effective alternative.

Candy twists as an alternative to the glucola beverage in gestational XXXX screening.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients'] @entity1211 :: ('MESH:D054556', 'Disease') :: ['venous puncture'] @entity413 :: ('MESH:D005947', 'Chemical') :: ['glucose'] @entity6 :: ('MESH:D003920', 'Disease') :: ['diabetes mellitus']
@entity6 :: (MESH:D003920,Disease) :: ['diabetes mellitus']
