Modeling the influence of social networks and environment on energy balance and obesity

► We developed a model of obesity that accounts for social and environmental influences on food and physical activity. ► We analyzed the contributions of social and environmental influences on obesity, for synthetic and real-world populations. ► Our results suggest that the structure of social ties affects the sensitivity of a population to its environment. ► We found that the sensitivity of a population to its environment does not only depend on high-level properties.