From susceptibility to frailty in social networks: The case of obesity

Abstract

The obesity pandemic is represented by a discrete-time Hopfield Boolean network embedded in continuous-time population dynamics. The influence of the social environment passes through a system of differential equations, whereby obesity spreads by imitation of the most influential neighbors, those who have the highest centrality indices in the network. This property is called “homophily.” Susceptibility and frailty are redefined using network properties. Projections of the spread of obesity are validated on data collected in a French high school.