Sophomore Daniel Bannes is partial to cheeseburgers, fries and what he and his friends call the Hulk, a large drink containing a sugary mix of orange Hi-C and blue Powerade.
Daniel said he had stopped ordering Big Macs because he was worried about the calories; a single sandwich packs 540 of them. Still, he likes having McDonald's so close.
"We all hang there after school and kick it," Daniel said.
The findings are likely to fuel the debate over what's driving America's obesity epidemic.
Concerned about growing rates of diabetes and heart disease -- particularly among young people -- state and local governments nationwide are taking aim at fatty, high-calorie foods.
California has been one of the most aggressive. Students can no longer purchase soda or junk food in Golden State schools. Some districts won't allow bake sales. California has banned artery-clogging trans fats, and Los Angeles has a one-year moratorium on new fast-food outlets in a 32-square-mile area of South L.A.
More than a dozen states and numerous cities are pondering legislation patterned after a new California law forcing chain restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus.
But blaming restaurants for the nation's weight problem strikes many as misguided. Obesity can be a product of a variety of factors, experts say, including genetics, lack of exercise and household nutrition. Courts have struck down patrons' attempts to sue restaurant chains for making them fat.
Not every group living or working in areas where fast food is plentiful experiences a higher incidence of obesity. The report's authors studied weight data for pregnant women, another group for which statistics are easily available. They found a much smaller correlation between the expectant mothers' weight gain and their proximity to the same type of burger, chicken and pizza restaurants.
The high schoolers studied appeared more susceptible to the temptations of fast food.
"School kids are a captive audience. They can't go very far from school during lunch, but adults can get in their car and have more choices," said Janet Currie of Columbia University, a co-author.
Researchers examined body-fat data taken from the mandatory fitness tests administered to all ninth-graders enrolled in California's public schools. Schools use a variety of methods, including skin-fold calipers. Using that device, a measure of more than 32% body fat for ninth-grade girls and more than 25% for boys is considered obese. The average is 25% for girls and 15% for boys, according to state guidelines.
