The prospect of the European Court of Justice ruling obesity as a disability due to an escalated employment tribunal is distracting focus from the key message of how to combat the condition, according to ukactive CEO David Stalker.

The European Court of Justice is currently considering a test case which could oblige employers across the continent to treat obesity as a disability. A disability ruling would potentially leave employers with an expensive duty to make workplace adjustments – such as priority parking and sturdier furniture – to cater for people with the condition.

The case could be extremely pertinent in countries like the UK, where obesity levels have increased in recent years.

The potential ruling has attracted widespread criticism, while the disability advocacy charity Scope gauged a negative response when it asked Facebook and Twitter followers if obesity is a disability.

For Stalker, what’s far more important is the guidelines we lay out for preventing obesity, rather than how we label it.

“The classification of disability for the purpose of workforce and employment tribunals is very complex and can actually distract from the more fundamental issue that obesity is a lifestyle condition that requires a balanced lifestyle including regular activity and healthy eating,” he told Health Club Management.

“We should really be discussing the best means of delivering this message and the support needed to tackle obesity and other lifestyle conditions.”