This is only my personal opinion, but it's based on years of experience: I believe that talking to teens about breast cancer isn't of much use because they're simply too young. High school students are still giggly and, frankly, bringing up the subject to 16-year-olds may just be instilling more fear than knowledge in them.

To me, college age seems just right. These young women are now out on their own and are assuming responsibility for their own health. They may also be adopting some not-too-desirable lifestyle habits as they set up housekeeping in the dormitory (such as drinking, smoking, and eating junk food while they study).

College kids are ripe for learning the warning signs of health problems in the breast and they'll be interested in knowing exactly what they need to be doing to reduce their own risk of cancer.

I developed a special educational program called a Breastival®, which has been trademarked under Johns Hopkins, and this program has now gone nationwide. This learn-and-earn education program is designed for college-age women (and men), a place where they can learn about breast cancer in a pleasant, low-stress setting.

During a Breastival®, they have an opportunity to ask questions, learn the facts about breast cancer, and unlearn myths — and then when they're done they get a reward for having learned accurate information about breast cancer and breast health. Once they're empowered with all this information, they can let go of some of their fears of this disease.

Watch for a Breastival on a college campus near you. And ... if you have a daughter (or son) in college now who belongs to a sorority, fraternity, or other group on campus that wants to make breast cancer awareness their platform, let them know about the Johns Hopkins Breast Center Web site. Once there, they can click on "upcoming events" on the left-hand side and, about one-third of the way down, find information on the Breastival.

Since its inception, more than 100 Breastivals have been held across the country. Among other life-saving things, each student learns at least 8 facts about breast cancer and breast health, learns the correct technique for performing a breast self-exam, and understands how their lifestyle habits influence their risk.